Wayne Rooney has delivered a fierce criticism of Manchester United’s current group, saying anyone who believes they are equipped to compete is “deluded” and “living in cuckoo land.”

The club have chosen to stand by manager Michael Carrick despite an ugly eight-match winless spell, with Saturday’s visit of Chelsea next on the schedule. That decision has broadly been met with approval from supporters, particularly after the 3–0 defeat to Bournemouth, which made clear where the frustration lies.

Rooney, though, aimed his anger squarely at the players. In a wide-ranging rant, he accused them of lacking care, intensity and basic commitment to the shirt.

“The players haven’t got a leg to stand on,” he told Stick to United. “What’s not fair is the performances they are giving. I looked at the fans, you could see the pain and anger in their faces when those players are walking around the football pitch. You see Martínez when Rayan ran round him, they are not getting to the ball, it’s so frustrating.

“I could score a goal, had ability or whatever, at least I f—ing ran and put myself about as a team. These players are not doing that.

“I would love to go in that dressing room and say, ‘What the f— are you all doing? What type of performances do you think this is? Do you think you deserve to wear the shirt?’ Put a f—ing firework up their a—- because they are not doing anything.

“We are seeing players who are numb, look like they have got no emotion, look like they don’t care. Some of them might care, some good lads who are getting dragged down. It is so frustrating to watch.”

Rooney also questioned whether the squad is even strong enough, especially in attack. He said the team is, at best, mid-table and argued they are being judged too generously after Michael Carrick’s early impact.

“It is at best a mid-table team, but if you look at all the mid-table teams, what do they get? They get players working hard, running, tackling and I keep saying it, going back to the basics,” he fumed. “These players think they are better than what they are.

“Unfortunately, what happened when Michael Carrick came in at the start is that it has given the players and the board false hope that they are good enough. He has done well, stuck together, managed somehow to finish third, then the board are thinking, ‘We are a top four team,’ when in reality they are miles away from it.

“You are deluded if they think the front three are good enough. They wanted Premier League players, they have brought lads from Wolves and Brentford, who have done well, but for signings to take this Manchester United team to the next level, you are living in cuckoo land if you think they are going to achieve that.”

Manchester United are already being linked with possible replacements for Michael Carrick, with Eddie Howe said to be the leading candidate if change is made at Old Trafford.

Carrick’s position is understood to be under increasing pressure, and anything other than victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday would only add to the speculation surrounding his future. According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, United have already begun conversations with possible options for the role.

“[Man Utd] also, because it’s the reality, they also had some conversations with agents, camps, representatives of other managers, because Manchester United had some conversation and that’s absolutely normal,” said the Italian.

“I’m not accusing Man Utd of anything wrong. It’s normal when things are not going well you start preparing for a potential change. So Man Utd had conversations with agents of managers.”

Romano then identified three names he believes sit on United’s list should Carrick be removed. In the order he gave them, those names were Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte.

“I told you that the three names we should take in consideration as free managers are in this order—Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte.

“Three managers very different one from the other and also in terms of approach.

“United are yet to say ‘Okay, let’s go for this coach.’ So the moment is still open but these are three names and obviously to talk with representatives, intermediaries or anyone close to these coaches is absolutely something normal in this situation, in this position for Manchester United.

“Then obviously there could be other managers who can be very attractive but very difficult to get.”

Howe, 48, has been out of work since leaving Newcastle at the end of July and is viewed as the current front-runner. His Premier League experience and man-management are thought to have caught United’s attention, even if there are lingering doubts about whether he has yet managed at a level comparable with Old Trafford.

Nagelsmann, 39, offers a very different profile. He has never coached in England, but his tactical reputation and attractive style have kept him in view. At the same time, his spell with the Germany national team did not fully convince, leaving him with questions of his own.

Manchester United have been handed another damaging blow, with Benjamin Šeško now expected to miss the rest of the calendar year.

According to The Athletic, the Slovenia international is not due back until January, a timeline that only adds to the pressure around the United boss, who could by then already be out of a job. The setback is a serious one for a side already battling through a difficult spell.

Šeško is believed to have played through the final two months of last season with the shin problem that is still affecting him. Even so, he played a part in helping United secure Champions League qualification. That history makes the current decision easier to understand, but no less painful for the club.

United chose not to send the 23-year-old for surgery over the summer. Instead, they opted for an extended period of rest in the hope that it would help him recover fully. The club has now concluded that he needs a longer spell out to reduce the risk of the problem returning later.

For Carrick, the timing could hardly be worse. United’s wider crisis has already included mutiny, humiliation and supporter unrest, and this latest development arrives just as the season enters a decisive phase.

Their issues in front of goal have been obvious across the opening two months. In Šeško’s absence, United have largely relied on improvised solutions at centre forward. Joshua Zirkzee remains the only other natural No. 9, yet his return of 10 goals in 83 appearances underlines why he has not been the answer.

Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Bruno Fernandes have all been used as stand-in strikers ahead of him, but none has thrived there. Carrick now faces the task of finding a lasting fix to a growing problem, with his own position potentially tied to the outcome.