Rooney also accepts the decision of referee Lee Mason.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has accepted that he deserved to be sent off in the victory over West Ham United yesterday, report the Mirror, whilst he has also apologised to his teammates who were put on the rack late on by a determined Hammers outfit before holding on to win 2-1.
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Rooney received his marching orders for a knee-high kick of Stewart Downing as West Ham looked to break – with the striker appearing to try and trip Downing rather than intending recklessness, but the tackle looked extremely ugly and Rooney can have no complaints over the decision, something that he accepts:
“It’s hard to take and I am obviously gutted. But it was probably the right decision. I saw the West Ham player making a counter-attack and I tried to break-up the play, but just misjudged it.”
Having been named as Louis van Gaal’s first captain as manager at Old Trafford in the summer, Rooney’s on-pitch discipline has been under the microscope during the opening week of the season, with many questioning his suitability as a leader after such a reckless moment.
Rooney, who is also England captain, has also apologised to his teammates, however, after they were forced to defend a significant portion of the match with just ten men at Old Trafford, after being asked whether he apologised to his teammates, Rooney responded:
“Yeah, of course I did. I think everyone knew], so I’m just grateful that the lads were able to hold on.”
Rooney is set to sit out three Premier League matches, which could be an issue for the England international as it may allow fellow forwards Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie to form a fruitful partnership.