If I was in Erik Ten Hag’s position, I wouldn’t play Ronaldo and Rashford against Liverpool: Wayne Rooney

Manchester United have had a woeful start to their Premier League campaign as they find themselves reeling at the bottom ofthe points table after back-to-back defeats in the first two matches of the season. United lost their season-opener against Brighton 2-1 before getting thrashed 4-0 by Brentford in their next game.

It has been a disastrous start for new manager Erik Ten Hag, who finds himself under immense pressure with no points two show for after the first two matches of the season. Ten Hag is set to face an even bigger test in his third game in charge of the club as United will take on arch-rivals Liverpool next.

Manchester United will lock horns with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Tuesday (August 23). While Jurgen Klopp's side has not had the best of starts to the season, they remain a hungry unit who will be looking to go all guns blazing against United as they search for their first win of the season.

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Amid United's struggles this season, former club captain Wayne Rooney has urged manager Erik Ten Hag to drop both Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford. While Ronaldo appears unsettled at United having already expressed his desire to leave the club this summer, Rashford has looked far from his best in the first two games.

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Rooney believes Ten Hag should be focused on getting 'energy' on the pitch after United's lethargic show in their first two games and that he should not start Ronaldo or Rashford against Liverpool. “I wouldn’t play Cristiano Ronaldo, and I wouldn’t play Marcus Rashford. If I was in Ten Hag’s position my main concern would be getting energy on the pitch,"the Manchester United legend wrote in his column for the Times.

“And United’s failure to recruit a No 9 means they relied on Ronaldo against Brentford, even though he hadn’t trained a lot with the team. He looked like he needs time to get match fit," he added.

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Rooney also questioned Rashford's intent on the pitch and claimed the England forward looks like he belongs anywhere but ona football pitch. Rooney insisted he wants the best for his former teammate but he has not seen Rashford perform and smile on the pitch for a long time.

"As for Marcus, I think he needs to do a lot of soul-searching and figure out what he wants, for his own good, before anything else. Because watching him is a real concern: he looks like he wants to be anywhere but on a football pitch," wrote the former Man Utd captain.

I haven’t seen him smile on the field for a long time. His performances have dipped - he hasn’t been selected by England for more than a year. I’m coming from a place of wanting the best for him. He’s a lovely kid and a local lad who came through the ranks at United, who everyone wants to see doing well.

"But you look at the difference between Marcus now and when he first came into the team: the passion he showed, the smile on his face when he scored. It’s night and day," he added.