Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United have been in decline ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in 2009.
Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid for a then-world-record fee, having won his first Ballon d’Or the previous year as United won a Premier League and Champions League double.
The Portuguese superstar sealed a dramatic return last summer, 12 years on from his departure, but has so far been unable to help return his club to its former glories with United’s hopes of silverware this season all-but over following their FA Cup exit to Middlesbrough.
Many supporters pinpoint Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager in 2013 as the moment in which United’s decline began, but Rooney feels it came much earlier.
The club’s record goalscorer believes they’ve been going downhill ever since Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez – who formed a deadly front three alongside Rooney – left the club during the same summer.
And, although United enjoyed further success after their departures, Rooney insists it was a “miracle” they won the 2013 league title in Ferguson’s final year in charge.
“You could see after 2011; Ronaldo left in 2009, Tevez left and after that you could see it was going to go backwards before it can move forwards,” Rooney said, via the Mirror.
Rooney voiced his concerns at the time, with the former forward initially refusing to sign a new contract in 2010 before eventually committing his future to United.
“That’s what I could see and that’s why I was asking the questions. Unfortunately, they probably still haven’t recovered from that to this day.
“It wasn’t a great team in 2013. For us to win that League title was a miracle, really, I think.
“A massive part of it was (Robin) van Persie. I think him coming in gave everyone a lift, coming in at number nine, scoring the goals he scored.
“That was a bit of a masterstroke from the manager, to bring him in and have him hungry because he was a bit older as well. He really carried us that season.”
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