Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has labeled Ruben Amorim's comments as "naive" after the Red Devils crashed out of the FA Cup. A 1-1 draw between both sides saw the Cottagers win the resulting penalty shootout at Old Trafford today (March 2).
Speaking after the loss, Amorim revealed that the club's long-term plan was to win the Premier League. The head coach told the BBC:
"The goal is to win the Premier League. I know that we are losing games but the goal is to win the Premier League again. I don't know how long it will take.
"We have a goal and we continue forward no matter what. it's impossible to know but you start understanding the players are better and we understand the league. We'll see in the future."
Wayne Rooney questioned Amorim's comments while partaking in punditry duties for the BBC:
"I think he'll get time (Amorim). It's not a free hit because he'll expect more from Man Utd then what we're seeing since he's been in. It's very difficult to come in during the season and have no pre-season, but he has to look to the future and moving forward.
"He says winning the Premier League, how can they compete? To get further up the table, I think that's the next step for them."
The Manchester United legend continued:
"Managers aren't getting that time over the last 10/15 years. You have to be selfish as a manager and say 'okay, if I don't do it now I might not get that time.' I think it's a little naive to say they're looking to win the Premier League because from where they are now, they're a long way off that."
In the Premier League, the Red Devils currently sit in 14th place, ahead of a difficult match against Arsenal at Old Trafford next weekend (March 9).
Pundit slams Manchester United after defeat to Fulham
Pundit Micah Richards has slammed Manchester United after they endured a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Fulham. While Richards was pleased with their defending, which ensured the Cottagers could only score one goal, he questioned their attacking impetus, telling the BBC:
"It was a frustrating game. I thought Man Utd defended a lot better, I think in recent weeks they've not been great at all. But they had nothing going forward, Zirkzee and Hojlund were working so hard, but they just didn't have it. They were a better team when Garnacho came on."
Calvin Bassey opened the scoring for Fulham during a set-piece routine on the cusp of half-time (45+1'). However, Bruno Fernandes found the equalizer for Manchester United to keep them in the game through 90 minutes and extra time.
This would not be enough though, as Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee lost their penalties during the shootout, while the visitors clinched the win.