Wayne Rooney has identified the role of full-backs Luke Shaw and Ashley Young as the main difference in Manchester United’s performance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Reds were 3-1 up by half-time against Cardiff City on Saturday evening, and the DC United forward suggested that the advanced positioning of the two England internationals was a large contributing factor.
Speaking during the interval on BT Sport’s coverage of the match (BT Sport 1, Saturday December 22nd, 5.30pm), Rooney said: “Obviously the scoreline being 3-1 makes you feel a lot better and makes you feel great.
“Everyone’s happy, but I think the two full-backs, Luke Shaw and in particular Ashley Young, the positions they’re taking up when Man United have the ball is something that you’d never see under Mourinho.
“I think just the overall attitude and the way they’re taking instructions has been fantastic.”
He added: “The difference with Mourinho is that he likes to get one goal up and he likes to hold on to the result and now they’re trying to go up.”
OPINION
For the first time in a long, long time Manchester United played with the swagger and ruthlessness that the club traditionally renowned for. The Reds played fluid, attractive football with zip and verve, and they looked all the better for it. A large part of their success against Cardiff on Saturday came from chucking men forward and flooding the Bluebirds’ defensive third, and as Rooney said during the break, Young and Shaw were crucial to that domination of territory. They essentially played like second wingers for much of the match and Cardiff looked shell shocked by the bombast of their marauding advances. It should be remembered that United were facing Cardiff and not Barcelona, but the whole aura surrounding the Reds felt different, as if the shackles had been cast off and the team were actually enjoying playing alongside one another. It’s a small step, but an important one in rebuilding the reputation and philosophy of the club.