Andy Cole has backed Wayne Rooney in claiming Manchester United is no longer an attractive option for elite players.
Rooney recently said he would not sign for United today despite being the club’s all-time record goalscorer after a wonderful 13-year spell with the Old Trafford club.
And Cole, who won five Premier League crowns and the Champions League with United under Sir Alex Ferguson, admitted he agreed with Rooney’s view.
The former England international told BetMGM: “I saw what Wayne [Rooney] said and I can get where he’s coming from.
“If you’ve got five top players who could possibly be on the move in the summer and you’ve got all the big clubs looking at them, what is there that entices those players to Manchester United?
“At the moment, all of the other big clubs have Champions League football and are vying to win their respective leagues. Manchester United are likely going to finish in their lowest league position in ages and could easily not have Champions League football.”
You get one hit – Cole
He added: “As a professional footballer you get one hit and when you get to a certain age, you want to be playing in Europe’s biggest competition and you want to be competing for titles in the biggest leagues around the world.
“If someone doesn’t give you that, like Manchester United at the moment, you look elsewhere – that’s just a fact.
“Wayne isn’t having a dig, he’s just saying it how it is.”
United are in the middle of another disappointing season and sit 14th in the Premier League having crashed out of the FA Cup to Fulham at the weekend.
Ruben Amorim has made little impact since replacing Erik ten Hag in the dugout but will hope for better when he takes his side to San Sebastián tonight to face Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League, round of 16 tie.
