Manchester United failed in a late bid to bolster Ruben Amorim’s midfield options after Wayne Rooney called for more signings.

The Red Devils turned to midfield targets after spending almost £200m on attacking players Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.

A disjointed midfield has been one of Amorim’s biggest problems since his arrival at Old Trafford and United expressed interest in signing Carlos Baleba from Brighton.

Manchester United baulked at Brighton’s asking price of over £100m, however, and a deal for long-term target Adam Wharton always looked unlikely.

United made a last-ditch attempt to sign a new midfielder on transfer deadline day, contacting Atletico Madrid about a deal for England international Conor Gallagher.

Gallagher has been linked with a move away from the La Liga giants but Atletico were only interested in a permanent transfer while United asked about a loan.

As a result Amorim’s midfield options have not been bolstered this summer, with United now likely to make that position their priority in January.

Gallagher made 50 appearances for Atletico Madrid last season following his £34m move from boyhood club Chelsea.

As well as playing for Chelsea, Gallagher also had spells at Crystal Palace – who expressed interest in re-signing him last week – and EFL clubs Swansea City, Charlton Athletic and West Brom.

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney will be disappointed by the lack of midfield additions at his former club after admitting the squad is ‘crying out’ for support in that position.

Asked if he would be ‘crying out’ for a new midfielder if he was in Amorim’s shoes, Rooney said on his BBC podcast: ‘You would be, yeah, but obviously we don’t know what the situation is with PSR.

‘But to get a midfielder and a goalkeeper is a priority, if they can address that before the window closes they will be in an okay place.’

Rooney also called for Manchester United to sign a new goalkeeper following Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir’s struggles at Old Trafford.

The United and England legend wanted Gianluigi Donnarumma to arrive at the club but the Champions League winner looks set to join Manchester City.

‘There’s the goalkeeper situation and I’m sure every Man United fan is asking the same question,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast.

‘For me, Donnarumma is out there and if there’s a possibility you can get him, you have to go for him. Clearly that [the goalkeeper] is an issue.

‘I go back to when we had Roy Carroll and Tim Howard in goal. I don’t think there was 100 per cent trust from the defenders in front of those two goalkeepers.

‘But the minute [Edwin] Van der Sar came in and calmed everything down, the defenders trusted him a lot more and you see a better output of performance.

‘These United players want that confidence and trust in the goal behind them and I just don’t see that with the ones we’ve got at the moment.

‘With Donnarumma, he’s 26 and one of the best keepers in the world. It would be crazy if Manchester United didn’t go for him.

‘If the deal can be done and what Donnarumma wants [in terms of a salary] is another question but I’d certainly be asking the question and try to get him to the club.

‘Andre Onana is a fantastic keeper, I watched him at Inter [Milan] and he was brilliant.

‘So you hope if they don’t sign a new goalkeeper he can get back to that level of form, but he certainly didn’t fill us with confidence last season.’

Instead, Manchester United are still working on a deal to sign Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for around £18m.

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‘They need that added spice.’

‘They need that added spice.’

Just one point from six for the Red Devils this season.

Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United to sign two players before the transfer window closes and says Ruben Amorim would be ‘crazy’ not to pursue Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The Red Devils have spent just under £200m so far this summer, bolstering Amorim’s squad with the additions of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

While they were beaten 1-0, there were signs of improvement in United’s opening-day performance against Arsenal, in which the visitors benefitted from a mistake from back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

Andre Onana was Amorim’s No. 1 last season and the United boss confirmed his absence against Arsenal was a tactical decision rather than enforced by an injury.

Despite appearing to have reservations about Onana and watching Bayindir let the team down, Amorim insisted he was happy with his goalkeeping options and suggested United would not be entering the transfer market for a new shot-stopper.

But club legend Rooney believes the goalkeeping situation at Old Trafford is an ‘issue’ and says it would be ‘crazy’ for Manchester United not to pursue a deal for Donnarumma.

The Champions League and European Championship winner is searching for a new club after being banished by PSG boss Luis Enrique despite his incredible form last season.

Donnarumma is open to a move to the Premier League but United have indicated they are not in the race to secure his signature.

‘There’s the goalkeeper situation and I’m sure every Man United fan is asking the same question,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast.

‘For me, Donnarumma is out there and if there’s a possibility you can get him, you have to go for him. Clearly that [the goalkeeper] is an issue.

‘I go back to when we had Roy Carroll and Tim Howard in goal. I don’t think there was 100 per cent trust from the defenders in front of those two goalkeepers.

‘But the minute [Edwin] Van der Sar came in and calmed everything down, the defenders trusted him a lot more and you see a better output of performance.

‘These United players want that confidence and trust in the goal behind them and I just don’t see that with the ones we’ve got at the moment.

‘With Donnarumma, he’s 26 and one of the best keepers in the world. It would be crazy if Manchester United didn’t go for him.

‘If the deal can be done and what Donnarumma wants [in terms of a salary] is another question but I’d certainly be asking the question and try to get him to the club.

‘Andre Onana is a fantastic keeper, I watched him at Inter [Milan] and he was brilliant.

‘So you hope if they don’t sign a new goalkeeper he can get back to that level of form, but he certainly didn’t fill us with confidence last season.’

While Manchester United are not currently planning to sign a new goalkeeper, they have shown interest in bringing a new midfielder to Old Trafford.

Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is a top target and United have also been linked with Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, though neither will come cheap.

Asked if he would be ‘crying out’ for a new midfielder if he was Amorim, Rooney said: ‘You would be, yeah, but obviously we don’t know what the situation is with PSR.

‘But to get a midfielder and a goalkeeper is a priority, if they can address that before the window closes they will be in an okay place.’

Rooney also insisted he took ‘many positives’ from Manchester United’s defeat to Arsenal and felt it was a sign the team are ‘on the right track’ under Amorim.

Amorim’s job will be under threat if United do not show significant improvement this season after they finished just 15th in the Premier League last season.

‘I think there were so many positives for Manchester United throughout the game,’ former captain Rooney added. ‘The players will be disappointed to lose but for the fans there were positives to take.

‘It’s not going to completely change in one transfer window, it’s going to take a bit more time, but it looks like they’re on the right track now.’

Amorim’s side return to Premier League action on Sunday with a trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.

Rodrigo Muniz scored an injury-time equaliser as Fulham drew 1-1 with Brighton in their opening game.

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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has issued a warning to Viktor Gyokeres after his subdued Arsenal debut.

Gyokeres struggled to make an impact in Arsenal’s Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Sunday and was replaced in the second half by Kai Havertz.

Much is expected of Arsenal’s £64m summer signing following his sensational form for Portuguese giants Sporting.

Gyokeres, who was playing in the Championship with Coventry City three seasons ago, scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, helping them win back-to-back league titles.

The Sweden international was brought in to solve Arsenal’s goalscoring issues and take the Gunners to the next level after three successive second-place finishes.

Some pundits expressed concern over Gyokeres’ performance against Manchester United but Rooney says he ‘didn’t get much support’ and insists ‘you don’t become a bad player after one game’.

However, the England legend also warned Gyokeres he is playing in a ‘completely different league’ and faces ‘a lot more pressure’ than he may be used to.

‘To be fair to him he didn’t have much support at times,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast when asked about Gyokeres’ Arsenal debut.

‘He was a bit isolated, he did show his strength, there was one time he ran into the channel and pushed [Matthijs] De Ligt off the ball.

‘You don’t become a bad player after one game. I actually played against him a couple of years ago when he was at Coventry and back then you could tell he was a good player.

‘The one thing I would say is this league is completely different to where he’s been and there’s a lot more pressure.

‘Arsenal have been in need of a striker and he’s the one they’ve put the trust in and spent the money on so there is a lot of pressure on him.

‘Now, the question I would have is can he handle that pressure? We’ve seen at Man United some players just can’t do it, just can’t handle the pressure of playing for a big club.

‘I guess we’re going to find out over the next few months.’

Rooney also assessed Arsenal’s Premier League title chances after they began the season with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

As well as Gyokeres, Mikel Arteta has welcomed Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke and Christian Norgaard to the Emirates Stadium this summer.

‘I think they can,’ Rooney said when asked if he believes Arsenal can win the title ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City Chelsea. ‘It will be tough but they can.

‘You can’t judge them on that performance because I know what it’s like at the start of the season, it can be tough for players.

‘Arsenal are certainly one of the three or four teams that can win it, that’s for sure.’

The Gunners will attempt to make it two wins from two on Saturday when Premier League new-boys Leeds United visit the Emirates Stadium.

Leeds marked their return to the top-flight with a 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night.

Six other teams won their opening games of the season as well as Arsenal, including defending champions Liverpool and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Liverpool scored two late goals to beat Bournemouth 4-2 while Man City looked formidably strong in a 4-0 thrashing over Wolves.

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He hopes United are still working hard behind the scenes.

Wayne Rooney discussing Liverpool’s pursuit of Alexander Isak (Picture: BBC)

Wayne Rooney has told Liverpool that signing Alexander Isak before the transfer deadline would make them ‘unstoppable’.

Liverpool’s openi…

Gary Lineker spent 26 years in the Match of the Day hotseat (Picture: BBC)

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It’s all change at the BBC.

Wayne Rooney was ‘devastated’ by the Manchester United transfer (Picture: Getty)

Wayne Rooney admits he was left ‘devastated’ when Carlos Tevez made a controversial move from Manchester United to Manchester City.

A…

Palmer has switched from No.20 to No.10.

Soccer Aid is back tonight as celebrities and football legends team up to win big on the pitch and raise big money for UNICEF.

Founded in 2006 by Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes, Soccer Aid has raised more than £100million for the children’s charity.

As ever, England will take on the World XI with famous faces like Louis Tomlinson and Diamond from Gladiators joining Jill Scott and Leonardo Bonucci in a football match like no other.

Here’s everything you need to know about Soccer Aid 2025:

Soccer Aid 2025 kick-off time

Soccer Aid will kick-off tonight at 7.30pm UK time.

After last year’s event at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, the 2025 match is being held at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United.

Should the scores be level after 90 minutes, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout which only the celebrities will take part in.

Soccer Aid 2025 confirmed teams

Many of last year’s stars have returned, with Man Utd legends including Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and Carlos Tevez set to make an emotional return to Old Trafford.

In the build-up to the match, former Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson was forced to withdraw because of injury but will still form part of England’s coaching staff.

England Soccer Aid line-up

Celebrities:

• Steven Bartlett
• Alex Brooker
• Morgan Burtwistle aka Angry Ginge
• Mo Farah
• Tom Grennan
• Bear Grylls
• Roman Kemp
• Denise Lewis
• Paddy McGuinness (GK)
• James Nelson-Joyce
• Sam Quek
• Bella Ramsey
• Louis Tomlinson

Legends:

• Michael Carrick
• Jermain Defoe
• Toni Duggan
• Joe Hart (GK)
• Steph Houghton
• Phil Jagielka
• Aaron Lennon
• Gary Neville
• Paul Scholes
• Jill Scott (captain)
• Jack Wilshere

Coaching staff:

• Tyson Fury
• David James
• Vicky McClure
• Harry Redknapp
• Wayne Rooney (Player/Coach)
• Sam Thompson

World XI Soccer Aid line-up

Celebrities:

• Maisie Adam
• Noah Beck
• Tony Bellew
• Tobi Brown aka TBJZL
• Nicky Byrne (GK)
• Asim Chaudhry
• Richard Gadd
• Bryan Habana
• Dermot Kennedy
• Lee Mack
• Gorka Márquez
• Livi Sheldon aka Diamond
• Billy Wingrove
• Big Zuu

Legends:

• Leonardo Bonucci
• Kheira Hamraoui
• Harry Kewell
• Kaylyn Kyle
• Nadia Nadim
• John O’Shea
• Carlos Tevez
• David Trezeguet
• Edwin van der Sar (GK)
• Nemanja Vidić

Coaching staff:

• Daniel Bachmann
• Martin Compston
• Robbie Keane
• Emmett J. Scanlan
• Peter Schmeichel

What TV channel is Soccer Aid 2025 on?

Tickets for the match have long sold out but you can still catch all the action on ITV 1.

Their coverage will begin at 6pm and can also be live streamed on ITVX.

Who has won Soccer Aid the most times?

After England dominated the early years of the contest, the World XI fought back to win five straight Soccer Aids from 2019 to 2023.

As a result, the World XI currently lead the head-to-record with seven wins to six.

England finally ending their losing run in 2024 with a remarkable 6-3 victory where Dragons Den star Steven Bartlett was named player of the match after bagging a brace.

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Ex-Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney (Picture: YouTube)

Wayne Rooney has urged Sir Jim Ratcliffe to re-sign former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and beat Chelsea to two deals worth £134m this summer.

Ruben Amorim hopes to…

Wayne Rooney (Picture: Getty)

Wayne Rooney lauded the efforts of Inter Milan keeper Yann Sommer after he helped his side reach the Champions League final following a chaotic second leg.

Much like the first leg, Inter raced into a two-goal…

Wayne Rooney singled out one Chelsea defender for praise after Mohamed Salah was kept quiet in the Blues’ victory over Liverpool.

Liverpool were beaten 3-1 by Enzo Maresca’s side in their first game since being crowned Premier League champions.

The Reds looked understandably off the pace a week on from celebrating a 20th English league title and it took Chelsea just three minutes to take the lead, Enzo Fernandez slotting home following a superb move involving Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto.

Chelsea doubled their lead with 20 minutes remaining when an attempted clearance from Virgil van Dijk hit Jarell Quansah and rebounded into his own net.

Van Dijk did get a goal back for the champions, rising well to head home from a corner, but Cole Palmer’s injury-time penalty sealed a huge win for Chelsea’s Champions League hopes.

Salah endured a surprisingly subdued afternoon at Stamford Bridge and Rooney felt that was down to a ‘really impressive’ performance from Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella.

Anfield hero Salah, who previously played for Chelsea, has enjoyed one of his best ever seasons – scoring 33 goals and making 23 assists in all competitions – but struggled to make an impact against his former club.

‘I was really impressed with Marc Cucurella,’ ex-Manchester United and England striker Rooney said on BBC’s Match of the Day 2.

‘I really liked how aggressive he was against Mohamed Salah. He was right in Salah’s face all afternoon, he didn’t give him any time on the ball. 

‘Salah can obviously hurt players if he faces you up but Cucurella didn’t let that happen. He kept winning the ball and driving forward, he didn’t really give Salah any joy. 

‘I think he won the ball back nine times which was more than any other player on the pitch. He was just really aggressive and I think you need to be against Salah because he will cause you massive problems if you give him time. 

‘Mo Salah can make you look silly but Cucurella didn’t fear him at all. I was really impressed with him.’ 

Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea spent over £60m to sign Cucurella from Brighton in 2022 but the Euro 2024 winner has developed into a key player for the west London side.

The win saw Chelsea move level on points with fourth-placed Newcastle United with three games remaining.

Qualifying for the Champions League is a huge target for Maresca’s side but Chelsea are not ready for Europe’s top competition, according to Nigel Reo-Coker.

‘You would have to say they are still in it but there are still a lot more questions about this Chelsea team,’ the ex-Premier League midfielder told BBC Radio 5 Live.

‘Just on the game against Liverpool, they took 45 minutes to get going and then they missed some real good chances.

‘Whether it is the Premier League celebration hangover. Chelsea were let off the hook in this game. It’s going to come down to Newcastle v Chelsea next [weekend] when they play each other.

‘Whoever wins that will be the one who makes it [into the Champions League positions]. I would put my money more so on Newcastle.

‘From their performances and from the way they look. They have won the League Cup this year and they have got tunnel vision.

‘With Chelsea, there are still quite a few questions. I don’t think they are strong enough defensively.’

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Wayne Rooney singled out one Chelsea defender for praise after Mohamed Salah was kept quiet in the Blues’ victory over Liverpool.

Liverpool were beaten 3-1 by Enzo Maresca’s side in their first game since being crowned Premier League champions.

The Reds looked understandably off the pace a week on from celebrating a 20th English league title and it took Chelsea just three minutes to take the lead, Enzo Fernandez slotting home following a superb move involving Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto.

Chelsea doubled their lead with 20 minutes remaining when an attempted clearance from Virgil van Dijk hit Jarell Quansah and rebounded into his own net.

Van Dijk did get a goal back for the champions, rising well to head home from a corner, but Cole Palmer’s injury-time penalty sealed a huge win for Chelsea’s Champions League hopes.

Salah endured a surprisingly subdued afternoon at Stamford Bridge and Rooney felt that was down to a ‘really impressive’ performance from Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella.

Anfield hero Salah, who previously played for Chelsea, has enjoyed one of his best ever seasons – scoring 33 goals and making 23 assists in all competitions – but struggled to make an impact against his former club.

‘I was really impressed with Marc Cucurella,’ ex-Manchester United and England striker Rooney said on BBC’s Match of the Day 2.

‘I really liked how aggressive he was against Mohamed Salah. He was right in Salah’s face all afternoon, he didn’t give him any time on the ball. 

‘Salah can obviously hurt players if he faces you up but Cucurella didn’t let that happen. He kept winning the ball and driving forward, he didn’t really give Salah any joy. 

‘I think he won the ball back nine times which was more than any other player on the pitch. He was just really aggressive and I think you need to be against Salah because he will cause you massive problems if you give him time. 

‘Mo Salah can make you look silly but Cucurella didn’t fear him at all. I was really impressed with him.’ 

Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea spent over £60m to sign Cucurella from Brighton in 2022 but the Euro 2024 winner has developed into a key player for the west London side.

The win saw Chelsea move level on points with fourth-placed Newcastle United with three games remaining.

Qualifying for the Champions League is a huge target for Maresca’s side but Chelsea are not ready for Europe’s top competition, according to Nigel Reo-Coker.

‘You would have to say they are still in it but there are still a lot more questions about this Chelsea team,’ the ex-Premier League midfielder told BBC Radio 5 Live.

‘Just on the game against Liverpool, they took 45 minutes to get going and then they missed some real good chances.

‘Whether it is the Premier League celebration hangover. Chelsea were let off the hook in this game. It’s going to come down to Newcastle v Chelsea next [weekend] when they play each other.

‘Whoever wins that will be the one who makes it [into the Champions League positions]. I would put my money more so on Newcastle.

‘From their performances and from the way they look. They have won the League Cup this year and they have got tunnel vision.

‘With Chelsea, there are still quite a few questions. I don’t think they are strong enough defensively.’

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Rooney suggested Arsenal were let down by their home supporters.

Ex-England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney (Picture: Getty)

Wayne Rooney heaped praise on Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool transfer target Adam Wharton after he helped Crystal Palace reach the FA Cup final.

Wharton prod…

England and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney (Picture: Getty)

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Rashford looked back to his very best against the French champions.

The youngster passed another huge test against 15-time European champions Real Madrid.

‘He played with no fear.’