Wayne Rooney has described Manchester United’s draw with Liverpool as the start of a defining period that could shape a Premier League title challenge.
United became the first side to take a point from Anfield this season when they stifled Liverpool in a dour stalemate on Monday. José Mourinho’s team host Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday, face another demanding away fixture in the Premier League at Chelsea on Sunday and have a derby with the league leaders City in the EFL Cup next Wednesday. Remaining hard to beat and recording positive results at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford, insists Rooney, would provide the platform for United to overcome an inconsistent start under their new manager and emerge as title contenders.
The United captain said: “Liverpool was the toughest game before the Europa League and then we’ve got Chelsea and City. It is good for us to have those games in this period. If we can come out of them with positive results it can be the start of something for us this season.
“I do think we’ll be challenging this season. We’ve still got that belief and it is even stronger after working with this manager and the players over the last few months. I think we’ve got a fantastic squad that is ready and capable of challenging.”
United are seventh in the table, five points behind City and Arsenal, and Mourinho attracted criticism at Anfield for his latest safety-first approach to a big game. Rooney admitted the priority was to avoid defeat against Jürgen Klopp’s team but was adamant United carried a threat.
“He [Mourinho] knew it was a massive game, probably the biggest game of the season,” Rooney said. “It was a game we didn’t want to lose, we knew it, the manager knew it, but we also wanted to try to win the game. We had a few chances and tried to get a goal. We stuck to the gameplan well but we just couldn’t get that goal.”
Mourinho has taken criticism not only for United’s tactics at Liverpool but for struggling to create a clear style of play from an expensive squad. Rooney is convinced one will emerge over the course of the season. “It is about what the manager wants from us and that is going to take time. I’m sure over the next few weeks or couple of months that we will have our way of playing, and it will be his way of playing. We had more time to work on the team for Liverpool with the game being on a Monday night and that helped us.
“It wasn’t like last time after the international break when we had an early kick off on a Saturday [the 2-1 league defeat against Manchester City] and we had more time to prepare. It is a different way of playing but if you’re an individual you should learn what the manager wants. As a team its going to take a little bit longer. We knew it was going to take a bit of time.”
Rooney was among the United substitutes for the fourth consecutive game at Liverpool and, despite his record for club and country for almost 15 years, accepted he has to seize his next opportunity in Mourinho’s starting lineup.
“It’s football,” said the striker who turns 31 on Monday. “I’ve started through all my career. This is a new challenge, it is a new period. I want to play. I just have to keep working and get into the team. I’m sure chances will come then it is up to me to take them. I like to think I can play every game but it’s the manager’s decision and I respect that. I will be ready when I’m needed. I’m 31 next week. I’ve got a lot of football left.”