Rooney calls Fernandes' verdict on United's Hull humiliation 'strange'

Manchester United began their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat at Hull City’s MKM Stadium on Saturday, becoming the first United side in the club’s history to lose to a newly promoted team on the opening day of a season.

First-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy were enough for Michael Carrick’s former club to inflict a damaging blow on the side he now manages. The result piles early pressure on Carrick, who had earned significant credit for guiding United back into the Champions League with a third-placed finish last term after succeeding Ruben Amorim in January.

Captain Bruno Fernandes was candid in his assessment after the final whistle, pointing to familiar failings. “Same mistakes as we did last season, every away game we give too much of the ball to them,” he said. “In the first 20 minutes, the goalkeeper was the one with the most touches. We needed to press more, be more aggressive, and then again we need to work on set-plays and not concede these type of goals.”

Fernandes also acknowledged that Hull’s tactical shift had been anticipated. “They played all pre-season with a back four, but went to a back five against us for some height in these moments. The most frustrating thing is that we lost the game.”

However, Wayne Rooney took issue with the tone of Fernandes’ remarks when speaking on BBC Match of the Day on Saturday evening. The 40-year-old former United striker described the captain’s comments as “strange”, arguing that the problems ran deeper than set-pieces and ball retention.

“For Manchester United to build on what they did last season, since Michael went in they obviously finished third in the Premier League, got Champions League football: to build on that they have to become a team now who you’re scared of playing against, who go and win the ball back,” Rooney said. “I thought they sat in a mid-block and didn’t get any real pressure on the ball. I think they won two balls in the final third, so they need to be more than that.”

Rooney was particularly critical of United’s lack of intensity throughout the match, suggesting the squad were underprepared for the contest in East Yorkshire. “There was a lack of intensity and closing down. They couldn’t really get close to Hull,” he added. “More energy in the press, how they go and win the ball back — today it was all too passive, for me.”

The defeat arrives against a backdrop of a turbulent summer at Old Trafford, with debate continuing over whether Carrick has been backed sufficiently in the transfer market. A first Champions League campaign in two years now looms on the horizon, making an early Premier League stumble all the more costly.