Manchester United's players needed reminding what it means to represent the club, Wayne Rooney said Tuesday, sharpening his criticism of the squad after an earlier attack, ESPN reported.
Rooney had criticised United's players on Oct. 22 for acting like "babies" and said Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez should look in the mirror. His latest comments broadened that criticism to the squad's understanding of its responsibilities.
The players needed a "firework up their a----", Rooney said Tuesday. His comments followed United's defeat by Como in Italy, with Fernandes returning home in the early hours of Thursday.
Former United captain Gary Neville said Tuesday that Michael Carrick faced a difficult task getting the team's struggling players to turn its fortunes around. Neville said he was "really surprised" but "happy" that Carrick was set to continue as manager.
At Chelsea, Xabi Alonso said the team would seek "solutions, not excuses" after Joao Pedro suffered a thigh injury. The forward had been ruled out for several weeks, leaving Alonso to address how Chelsea would manage his absence.
Alonso's comments concerned an enforced absence, while Neville's assessment centred on Carrick's task with the players at United. Neither supplied account identified a replacement for Pedro or a change to United's team selection.
Bayern Munich said Saturday that coach Vincent Kompany would undergo more tests to establish why he collapsed during a training session the previous day. ESPN reported that he was stable and could be away for weeks.
The club gave no explanation for the collapse in the supplied account. Further testing was intended to determine its cause, with the possible length of Kompany's absence still uncertain.
Bayern striker Harry Kane said he would prefer to know in advance whether he had won the Ballon d'Or, football's individual award. Speaking on Oct. 22, Kane said he still did not know the outcome ahead of Monday's announcement.
Away from those comments, ESPN reported that a UEFA disciplinary ruling Tuesday barred Lens supporters from buying tickets for the club's Champions League match at Liverpool. The ban followed fans throwing flares against Brugge.
ESPN also reported that Fernandes discovered a burglary at his home after returning from Italy, and that Kai Rooney scored four goals in United's under-18 team's 6-0 win over Burnley on Tuesday.
In Spain, Chinese companies were cutting ties with Kylian Mbappe after comments apparently referring to Mao Zedong, ESPN reported. The account described brands dropping the player, whose image had appeared in advertisements across China.
