Jose Mourinho created disparity with academy players at Manchester United, says Rooney

Oviri Kelvin, Sports Editor, Abuja

Wayne Rooney has taken a swipe at Jose Mourinho for treating the Manchester United academy like they were never important during his stead at Old Trafford.

Rooney noted that the moment Mourinho came into the club, the tradition that has existed in the club for ages was changed.

Mourinho, who signed for Manchester United in 2016 after archrivals Manchester City brought in Pep Guardiola to Premier League, won the Europa League and League Cup for the Red Devils in his debut season, The Trumpet gathered.

Rooney at the Monday Night Football revealed that the greatest undoing of Mourinho in Old Trafford is breaking a relationship Sir Alex Ferguson built for 26 years with the United academy.

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He said, “The distance between the academy and the first team and the manager, especially under Mourinho, was huge.

“It was almost as if they didn’t exist, if you like.

‘Having the relationship they had with Sir Alex Ferguson for 26 years and then not being allowed anywhere near the first team. It’s almost like there was a divorce between the first team and the academy,” he added.

Rooney is in the Championship with Derby County that are neck-deep in relegating to a lower division at the end of the season.