Wayne Rooney criticized Bruno Fernandes’ decision to pass on the second penalty to Marcus Rashford during Manchester United’s victory over Everton.
In a surprising turn of events, Wayne Rooney has publicly criticized Bruno Fernandes for his decision to delegate the second penalty kick to Marcus Rashford during Manchester United’s recent triumph over Everton.
During the match at Old Trafford on Saturday, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford were instrumental in securing a 2-0 victory for Manchester United. This win marked a significant milestone for the team, being their first Premier League victory in three matches, although they currently stand in sixth position with 47 points.
Both penalties that contributed to Manchester United’s win were awarded as a result of clumsy tackles in the box, with Alejandro Garnacho being the recipient of these challenges. Despite Everton’s dominance throughout the match, particularly in possession, Manchester United managed to capitalize on their opportunities.
However, amidst the celebration of victory, Wayne Rooney has taken aim at Bruno Fernandes’ decision-making, specifically questioning his choice to relinquish the responsibility of taking the second penalty to Marcus Rashford.
After converting the first penalty, Fernandes gave the ball to Rashford, who made it 2-0. Criticising the move, United legend Wayne Rooney told TNT Sports, “I think any club should have one penalty taker. I understand when a player is going through a tough period, but when it’s 1-0 it is risky.”
“The keepers study so much now, Jordan [Pickford] would have known his favourite way, but it is a game of cat and mouse. I used to practice and tell the goalkeepers what way. If I know them – I have scored past all of them – but it can be a bit more nervous,” he added.
Meanwhile, Fernandes explained the move to MUTV. “Obviously, as I said many times, we have more than one penalty-taker and we have a list in the dressing room. Marcus [Rashford] is the second name as a penalty taker and I am more than confident whenever Marcus steps up to take a penalty,” he said.
“I am more than confident that he can have the same effect as me. I did score the first one but I felt that with the second one, we should have changed because it then moves the mind a little bit of the goalkeeper. He has to move differently, he has to adapt to a different kind of penalty-taker, so I think it was the best decision for the team in order to help us get another goal.
“It was not because I wasn’t confident I would score, because I was, but because I spoke to Marcus and asked him if he wanted to take it. He said: ‘I would be happy to take one’, so I said ‘go ahead’,” he further added.