Wayne Rooney will not appeal against the red card he received in Manchester’s 2-1 victory over West Ham at Old Trafford despite it ruling him out for the next three games, with the player admitting that it was “probably the right decision.”
Visiting Manager Sam Allardyce branded the incident as “crazy” and “irresponsible”. Rooney chased back Stewart Downing 15 minutes into the second half and took a hacking at Downing near the centre circle.
This forced the referee to show Rooney a red card, which was the sixth of his career and third since 2009.
As the captain of his club and country, Rooney wanted to accept responsibility. “It was probably the right decision,” he said. “I saw the West Ham player making a counterattack and I tried to break up the play, but I just misjudged it.”
Rooney says he will not appeal. “No. I understand it,” he said. “I knew at the time that I misjudged it. It is a red card and I don’t think it will benefit anyone to appeal against the decision.”
Rooney will not play any more club games in October, which means he will miss Sunday’s away game against Everton, a trip to West Bromwich Albion and the home game with Chelsea.
With the next match Rooney can feature in being the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on 2 November, he said: “That’s the most disappointing thing. Obviously we got away with it [against West Ham] by getting the win, but I am really gutted that I am going to be missing the next three games. It is hard to take and I am obviously gutted.”
Rooney accepts any criticism that his old temper may be flaring up. “I expect people to say that, but at the end of the day, I was trying to break up the play,” he said.
Rooney apologised to the team in the dressing room after the match. “Yeah, of course I did. Everyone knew [I was in the wrong], so I am just grateful the lads were able to hold on,” he said.
Asked if he had spoken to Downing, Rooney said: “No. I haven’t absolutely volleyed the lad. I have tried to trip him up and he got further away from me and that is why my leg is straighter than it should have been.”
Next month’s Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia are a consolation. “It helps that the England games are coming up, but the training here is really good,” he said. “So I just have to make sure I train well and be ready for when I come back.”
While Allardyce fumed about a late Kevin Nolan equaliser ruled out for offside, of Rooney’s red card he said: “It was crazy and it’s irresponsible. We all know that lads trip up players – but he gave him a bit of a swipe.”
Meanwhile, Louis van Gaal forgave Rooney. “He doesn’t have to change,” said the manager. “He just needed to do it in a more friendly manner. He said that to me afterwards.”
The length of Rooney’s ban, however, was news to the United manager. “Three games you think? OK,” he said. “It is a big miss, especially as I am thinking now he is playing at a good standard in his new role. And he likes to play there. When he gets three matches it means also that my captain is away. He is a very important person, especially in my vision, because not for nothing is he captain of this team.”
“He is an example for the squad. That I saw in the USA [on tour] and when he came back he kept that and that’s why I made him captain.”
The Dutchman is not concerned if another red card occurred soon: “No. He came at once to me and said it was not his meaning to do it like that. I can say it to you because I have already said it to him. Otherwise I would not say it.”
The victory over West Ham featured the full debuts of two 19-year-olds, Luke Shaw and Paddy McNair. Of the latter, playing his first match at senior level, Rooney said: “It won’t get much tougher in terms of physical strength and aggression against him, but he dealt with it and we are all delighted with him. I saw the clearance he made at the end and I thought he was tremendous for us.”
While that was a fine header McNair made while running towards his own goal, Rooney added: “This is probably one of the bigger tests a young defender can face, up against a team putting in lots of crosses into the box, but he took it and stood up to it, especially in the second half.”