Rooney blasts past Man United buys, backs Carlos Baleba as perfect fit as club eye Hertha teen Kennet Eichhorn

Wayne Rooney has criticised Manchester United’s pre-2023 recruitment for chasing big names over balance, citing Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba as examples. He then named Brighton’s Carlos Baleba as the midfielder he would sign for United, noting mutual interest and Brighton’s reluctance. In parallel, United are among elite clubs monitoring 16-year-old Hertha prospect Kennet Eichhorn as part of a youth-focused pipeline. The direction is clear - smarter, joined-up squad building around a modern midfield profile. It feels like a reset United have needed for years, and Baleba fits the brief on and off the ball.

In a recent interview, Wayne Rooney reflected on Manchester United’s recruitment in the late 2010s, arguing it prioritised star power over squad cohesion. He later identified Carlos Baleba of Brighton as his preferred United signing, highlighting the player’s fit and the reality that Brighton would be tough negotiators. Separately, United are among several leading European sides tracking Hertha BSC’s 16-year-old midfielder Kennet Eichhorn as a long-term investment.

🚨🗣️ Wayne Rooney: "The recruitment at Manchester United before last summer was horrendous. They were just bringing big names in – you look at Lukaku, Zlatan, Pogba – they’re good players but they were just bringing names in and spending enormous amounts of money. It’s going

@UtdXclusive

Impact Analysis

Rooney’s remarks land at a time when United’s football structure has shifted to a clearer, data-led approach under the INEOS era and a revamped recruitment department. The key is profile. Carlos Baleba is a press-resistant ball-winner who can cover ground, break play and progress possession at tempo. At Brighton, he has thrived in tight spaces, accepts the ball under pressure and steps through the first line with authority. That is the exact platform United’s midfield has lacked in phases - a high-activity anchor who does both the dirty work and the first progressive action.

Beyond role fit, there is a strategic point. United have often paid premiums for headline signings. Brighton, by contrast, sell on their terms with clear pathways for players. Baleba would be expensive, but he fits United’s new logic: buy the right age, right engine, right mentality, then let the market justify the fee over time. Meanwhile, tracking Kennet Eichhorn aligns with the club’s push to build a pipeline under an aligned academy-first lens. You solve today’s midfield with Baleba and seed tomorrow’s with a high-ceiling teenager.

Put simply, Rooney’s critique sets up the solution. The squad will benefit far more from a phase-shifting 6-8 hybrid than another headline forward. The fit looks clean, the timing feels right.

Reaction

Fan reaction split fast and loud. A chunk of United supporters nodded along, saying Rooney is spot on that the club chased names over profiles and paid the price in balance. One reply summed it up neatly: the team needs time, smart recruitment and patience, not chequebook fireworks. Others pushed back, arguing the 2016-2020 window produced some effective pieces and that context matters - Pogba, for instance, had elite peaks and was hardly a write-off.

There was cynicism too. A few accused past arrivals of treating United like a retirement fund, while another group bristled at the timing, calling the conversation stale and not helpful now the club is resetting. A minority reaction turned edgy, telling Rooney to stop harping on the past. Then came the flashpoint: who should come next. When Rooney floated Carlos Baleba, the tone changed. Many warmed to it instantly - high energy, Premier League tested, fits the need. Others warned that Brighton never sell cheap and that United must avoid overpaying again.

The youth angle stirred interest without controversy. Monitoring Kennet Eichhorn reads as smart due diligence, and fans liked the idea of a defined pathway for a talented 16-year-old. Overall mood: cautious optimism for Baleba, curiosity about Eichhorn, and a clear desire to finally see strategy trump stardust.

Social reactions

That's exactly what Liverpool have done this summer, when you sign an expensive flop it takes ages to find someone daft enough to buy them from you as their wages are so high and you don't want to take a massive hit in selling them on the cheap

Alan Henson (@al_henny)

People never give enough credit how long it takes to recover from the mistakes made, which were done over & over again.

Adam (@AdamJoseph____)

I totally agree Wayne

Drizzling (@kin1567)

Prediction

Short term, United will continue background work on a midfield addition and keep Baleba high on the list. Brighton’s stance is predictable - they will resist mid-season and quote a premium. A realistic starting price sits high, with add-ons pushing it further. If United move decisively in the next window, a structure with achievable bonuses and a sell-on could unlock talks. The player profile fits the manager’s needs and the new recruitment lens, and that usually leads to momentum once a fee framework is in play.

Medium term, United will intensify youth scouting and keep tabs on Eichhorn’s development at Hertha. Expect a relationship-building phase - visits, performance tracking, clear development plans - rather than a rush. If a path to first-team minutes is presented credibly, United will be in a strong position against continental rivals.

Scenario map: 1) Preferred - United agree a framework with Brighton before the summer to get early execution, preventing an auction. 2) Competitive - multiple clubs enter, price climbs, United lean on project clarity to win the player. 3) Contingency - if Brighton hold, United pivot to a similar-profile 6-8 while keeping dialogue alive for a later window. In all cases, United’s midfield refresh looks imminent, with Baleba the cleanest outcome.

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Conclusion

Rooney’s critique was blunt, but it tees up a practical next step and a name that makes football sense. United have moved from collecting stars to constructing a system, and Carlos Baleba is a system player of the right age, tools and temperament. He breaks play, passes forward, carries through pressure and frees creative pieces higher up. That is how you lift a floor and a ceiling at the same time. Yes, Brighton are tough sellers, but that is the cost of buying proven Premier League profiles with upside.

Tracking Kennet Eichhorn sits neatly alongside that plan. You solve an urgent need and you bank a future one. The fanbase might disagree on the past, yet there is rare alignment on the present: the midfield has to be modern, aggressive and brave on the ball. If United keep this lane - clear profiles, fewer compromises - they will finally look joined-up from academy to first team. Baleba would be a statement of method, not marketing, and that is exactly what Old Trafford needs now.