Wayne Rooney has revealed how a motivational talk he gave his Manchester United teammates helped put an end to their poor run of form, solidified by their 4-2 victory against derby rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
While Rooney said that it may have been pure coincidence, he conceded that he felt obligated to hold a locker room meeting regarding the club’s terrible string of performances, the day before they defeated Tottenham 3-0.
Speaking following United’s crucial victory against City, Rooney spoke of the club’s changed fortunes, saying: “I’ve always been quite vocal in the dressing room before games and I felt the time was right for me after we’d lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup, to put a few points across to the players which I thought might help the team.
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“I’m not saying what’s why we won the games against Tottenham and Liverpool, but it certainly didn’t cause any harm doing it. It just felt like the right time for me to say something.
“It’s not something I do before every game. I’m always talking in the dressing room and giving my opinions to try to help the players get ready for the game. But on those occasions it was just something a bit different and something I felt was right to do.”
Rooney and Van Gaal have pulled Manchester United back up the table.
United’s terrible start to the season has improved considerably, and though it seems unlikely that they’ll manage to bag the Premier League title ahead of leaders Chelsea, at this point it’s all but certain that they’ll qualify for the Champions League. While this may not be much of a consolation prize for United fans, it will no doubt be heartening for them to see the club putting in good performances following the departure of former manager Alex Ferguson, after a woeful season under the leadership of David Moyes and then a terrible beginning to the 2014/15 campaign with Louis van Gaal.
Despite it seeming likely that Rooney’s words of encouragement helped strengthen the United squad, the captain was quick to point out that he isn’t the only player who is vocal behind the scenes.
“It’s nice to hear, but it’s not just me who speaks in the dressing room – there’s a few of us that do,” he continued. “The most important thing is that the team keeps winning – that’s all everyone is focussed on.”
Manchester United are currently in third place in the Premier League, and are a single point behind Arsenal with 65 points. Leaders Chelsea are ahead with 73 points and also have a game in hand.
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