Still 0-1 With a Man Up! Rooney Slams United: Summer Spending Wasted, No Reinforcements in Attack or Defense

On September 14 in the Premier League, Manchester United suffered a 0-1 defeat to Manchester City. After Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute, Manchester City played the rest of the match with just 10 men, yet Erling Haaland scored a controversial goal. Post-match, Wayne Rooney bluntly stated that United are paying the price for underinvesting in the summer transfer window: the club spent heavily to bolster the midfield, signing Andre Santos and Bahoya, but failed to bring in any reinforcements for the attack or defense. Despite having a numerical advantage and dominating at times in the first half, United generated only one meaningful chance, and VAR decisions further disadvantaged the team. United have won just one of their four league matches, sitting eight points adrift of Manchester City. Rooney emphasized that the squad lacks bench players capable of turning the tide of a game.