Manchester United labelled ‘babies’ by club legend Wayne Rooney

Manchester United great Wayne Rooney has branded the current squad "babies" and "selfish" as pressure mounts on manager Michael Carrick after a humiliating 4-1 defeat at Como.

The loss on Wednesday left United 13th in the Premier League before Sunday's visit by Bournemouth, facing one of their worst domestic league starts in decades and the possibility of dropping into the relegation zone. Carrick is now clinging to his job.

Rooney, United's all-time leading goalscorer and a friend and former teammate of Carrick, said he was in "shock" and "disbelief" at the Como display — but pointed the finger at the players rather than the manager.

Deepening the sense of crisis, captain Bruno Fernandes publicly criticised Carrick's tactics after the defeat, while defender Lisandro Martinez last week took aim at the club's board for failing to invest enough in the transfer market.

"That was the start. We've seen it now with Bruno and you're going to see it with more players," Rooney said, warning the infighting would "rip the dressing room apart".

"You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said but you have to take responsibility on the pitch," he added.

"These players, they're selfish. They don't care about their teammates," Rooney continued. "If they're not getting what they want, they're like babies and throw their toys out of the pram."