Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has opened up about an exchange he had with Jose Mourinho prior to the 2017 League Cup final, which left him questioning the standards at the club.
When Mourinho became United boss in the summer of 2016, Rooney was heading into his third season as captain, leading a team that was attempting to get back on its perch.
However, while he became United’s all-time leading goalscorer under Mourinho’s stewardship, Rooney only lasted one season under the Portuguese coach after being demoted to a supporting role, despite being the skipper.
During that solitary campaign, United won both the League Cup and the Europa League, making what was a poor campaign, in which they finished sixth in the Premier League, seem like a success.
However, while United won silverware that season, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows – especially behind the scenes.
Rooney, 39, has recounted how he marched to Mourinho ahead of the League Cup final at Wembley eight years ago and explained that he thought United’s players were not dressing smartly enough ahead of matches.
Wayne Rooney (right) has recounted an exchange he had with Jose Mourinho (left) back when they were both at Man United
Rooney approached Mourinho (pictured at the Munich disaster memorial in 2017) about the dress code standards ‘slipping’ ahead of the League Cup final that year
The former captain was used to dressing professionally in a club suit ahead of big games
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, on BBC Sport, he said: ‘I remember we went to the League Cup final and players were wearing the suits with big, bright yellow trainers and stuff like that.
‘I went to Mourinho and said, “Listen, I’ve spoken to the players and you need to have a word here and to keep the standards. We can’t have that going to Wembley into a cup final”.’
However, Rooney’s point seemed to be lost on Mourinho as he himself didn’t dress to the expectations that Rooney had set for his team-mates.
The former United striker added: ‘He’s like, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll speak to them”. And then as we came down to leave, I’ve seen Jose there and he’s got a zip-up top with no tie on. I was thinking, “What’s the point?”
‘He was more relaxed on it, so, what’s the point? Why am I even bothering with this? I think now it’s just wear what you want and they have phones, caps, whatever, trainers would suit.’
For most of Rooney’s 13-year career at Old Trafford, where he netted a record-breaking 253 goals, he was under the leadership of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
During Fergie’s tenure, he set the standards by wearing the famous club suits, which featured a traditional club crest, and it was mandatory for players to wear them on game days.
However, this was the case when Mourinho was in charge. The Portuguese boss has never enforced strict uniform rules at any of his clubs, and it was something that Rooney recalled noticing when he was manager at Chelsea during the 2000s.
Rooney believed that Mourinho needed to ‘have a word’ with players for not being smart
But the Portuguese coach didn’t follow suit and left Rooney wondering ‘what’s the point?’
Rooney’s team-mates, such as Paul Pogba (pictured), used to wear trainers with their suits
Sir Alex Ferguson ordered mandatory club suits while he was Rooney’s manager at United
‘When you used to look at Chelsea, if you looked at the players who weren’t in the squad, they were on the bench and they were all in their own clothes, and I thought it looked a bit scruffy.
‘Whereas at United, it was really professional and everyone, even if you’re not in the squad, would be in the club suits. It looked really professional, and it’s gone now.
‘I think now it’s the same with every club, they just wear whatever they want. But I just always think, United looked really professional.’
Before and after Mourinho, when both Louis van Gaal and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were in charge, the mandatory club suits for big games were in full effect, something that Rooney appreciated.
In fact, it took just one month of Solskjaer’s reign, back in January 2019, for him to order his United players to wear their official club suits to all matches. He did so to revive the principles he had previously followed under Ferguson.
These days, though, those principles have disappeared once more. United players regularly turn up to matches in club tracksuits, while current manager Ruben Amorim spots casual clothes on the touchline.
Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sport YouTube & iPlayer, listen on BBC Sounds. Episodes drop every Friday & Monday morning.
