Wayne Rooney: My kids don’t know what Man Utd being successful looks like, it hurts.. put Roy Keane in the dressing room

WAYNE ROONEY has admitted “it hurts” to see Manchester United the way it is and added he is desperate for his kids to see the club back on top.

Rooney, 39, is the Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer and won everything there was to win as a player for the club, including five Premier League titles.

However, little more than eight years on from his final United game, standards have plummeted through the floor as an increasingly desperate situation slides into deeper and deeper ignominy.

Rooney even claimed he did not even recognise the club anymore, slamming the players for a perceived lack of character and desire to win.

That fact was once again laid bare as Ruben Amorim’s side limped to a 3-1 defeat away at Brentford to leave them 14th in the Premier League table.

Speaking on the Wayne Rooney show, the former England international referenced big characters from his own playing days such as Roy Keane and Paul Scholes who would be able to show “what the club means”.

But the most damning assessment came with Rooney’s desperation for his children to see the club win again.

Kai, 15, has played in the club’s youth set-up since 2020, while Klay, 12, is also in the youth ranks at United.

Rooney said: “I never grew up a Man Utd fan, I grew up an Everton fan.

“But I spent that much time with the football club, my family, my two children are now at the football club.

“I’ve been involved in that club for over 20 years and what we’re seeing hurts.”

Rooney continued: “Only my eldest boy has seen Man Utd win a Premier League title.

“My kids don’t know what Man Utd being successful is. I want them to see that.”

Rooney also said: “The culture of that football club has gone. I see it on a daily basis.

“I see staff losing jobs, people walking out of jobs.

“I’ve got two kids [in the academy] at that football club and I really hope this doesn’t affect what they’re doing.

“What I’m seeing at that football club is not Manchester United.”

United host Sunderland at Old Trafford next Saturday, desperately hoping for a good result and performance to match.

That match will also come exactly one day before the one-year anniversary of when the United fan refusing to cut his hair until they win five in a row started his challenge.