Rooney tells Simeone how to exploit Manchester United’s weaknesses

Wayne Rooney has given Diego Simeone a possible route to beating Manchester United, who visit Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano on Tuesday for the second matchday of the Champions league phase. Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00.

Manchester United arrive with one win in the tournament but have not taken all three points in their last four Premier matches. Atlético’s recent form is different: they have won four LaLiga games in a row, though they are coming off a defeat at Anfield against Liverpool in continental competition.

Speaking on the BBC, the former Manchester United forward highlighted a weakness in his old club. “They sit in that mid-block, but they are not going to press the ball. That is why they are quite passive,” he said, outlining a way for Simeone to take advantage of that approach.

Rooney believes possession followed by a change of pace can trouble the English side: “Teams will think that if they keep possession and then change the tempo, they can hurt them.” To show what Manchester United could do to rediscover their best level, he pointed to Chelsea under Jose Mourinho: “They were very aggressive, went after the ball and got right on top of you, making them very difficult to play against.”