CAPE TOWN – Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has revealed he told one of his managers his training sessions were bad.
Rooney, who has also played for Everton, DC United and Derby County, wrote in his weekly column that, as captain, he was asked to confront the manager on behalf of the squad.
“When players aren’t happy, they often go to the captain and you end up bein gthe one to present complaints. That can lead to dofficult conversations. At one club I was asked to go and tell the manager his training sessions were not good enough,” said the ex-United and England skipper.
“That’s not an easy one. ‘Excuse me, gaffer. The lads think your training’s s**t.’ It can be a lot to take on. You represent the player in meetings over the squad’s charity work and commercial activities.
Rooney did not name the manager he was speaking about, but during the end of his United career, it was reported that he and Michael Carrick had confronted Louis van Gaal over his “stifling tactics” and “archaic training methods”.
The 34-year-old Rooney is currently the captain of Championship club Derby County.