DC United head coach Wayne Rooney has advised Harry Maguire and disgraced Mason Greenwood to leave Manchester United.
Rooney, who spent 13 years at United where he is the record goalscorer, was speaking in an interview with The Athletic.
Under-fire defender Maguire was stripped of the captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag this week, while Greenwood’s fledgling career appears to be in tatters after he was charged with assault and attempted rape. Greenwood has since been cleared of those charges, but there are concerns within the club that reinstating him would be “commercial suicide“.
“To have the armband taken off you, how does he move forward with the club,” Rooney said, speaking about Maguire.
“That shows the manager really doesn’t believe in him. It leaves Harry in a position where he has to think on what he does moving forward... The best thing now is probably for him to move."
Bruno Fernandes, who was given the responsibility to lead the team in Maguire’s absence last season is the favourite to take over the captaincy on a full-time basis.
On Greenwood, Rooney supported the notion that his reinstatement within the team would hurt the club’s image.
“For Mason, it’s a bad position to be in because I’m sure he just wants to play football.
“But for the club, its image and ensuring they make the right decisions, it’s almost a catch 22. I think the best thing for Mason now is to get out of the club and go and develop somewhere else.”
“He needs to get back playing because it has been a long time. With everything that has happened and how long the internal investigation has taken, it’s probably got to a place now where Mason just needs to go and play and to try and get his career back on track.”
Manchester United landed in New York for their pre-season tour on Thursday.
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