English football giants Manchester United’s captain Wayne Rooney has no complaints over losing his first team spot and is eager to take his chance when he gets it. Although he started in the English Football League Cup, Rooney was dropped in the wake of United’s 1-3 loss against Watford in the English Premier League last month. The England international understood manager Jose Mourinho’s decision after his poor display against Watford.

“Listen, I had a bad game at Watford. I played bad, I know that and I understand that,” Rooney was quoted as saying by The Independent. “I think if he was picking the next team on the back of that, I understand not playing. The team have done well.” “I understand I have to work hard and try and get back and try and get my chance and take it,” he added.

Mourinho had suggested Rooney returned from his commitments for England a different player, with United losing three straight matches. With the 30-year-old benched, Mourinho’s men have claimed two consecutive wins, while being held by Stoke City.

“The team came back different, but I’ll take a lot of that,” Rooney said. “Of course, I’ve done that throughout my career, but we have to work as a team in terms of trying to win and, if I’m on the bench, so be it.”

“I’ll fight. I won’t not fight for my place, I’ll fight to try and get back in.”

Manchester United’s veteran midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger on Wednesday insisted that he is ready to fight for a place at the football club after being sidelined by new coach Jose Mourinho.

The former Germany captain has been frozen out of the first-team since Mourinho’s arrival in the summer, and has been training with the reserves while the club attempts to find a potential suitor for the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner.

With eight Bundesliga titles and a Champions League win to his name, he left Bayern Munich for United last summer and made 13 English Premier League (EPL) starts under Louis van Gaal during an injury-hit 2015/16 season.

But he insists that if United do want to offload him, he will not move to another European club. “MUFC will be my last club in Europe. I respect other clubs. But Manchester United was the only one which could make me leave Bayern Munich,” Schweinsteiger wrote on Twitter.

“I will be ready, if the team needs me. This is all I can say about my current situation. I want to thank the fans for the amazing support over the last few weeks,” the 32-year-old added.

Schweinsteiger has two years left of the three-year contract he signed with United last summer.

New manager Mourinho has already decided the German has no future at United, with Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Morgan Schneiderlin all ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.

Schweinsteiger is one of a handful of senior stars Mourinho is prepared to jettison, with Marcos Rojo also unwanted.

–IANS

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