Wayne Rooney is in disbelief that Manchester United are uninterested in signing Paris Saint-Germain outcast Gianluigi Donnarumma.
For several weeks this summer, reports had suggested that the Red Devils were indeed among a host of clubs sizing up a move for the player after his contract talks with PSG reached a stalemate.
Then, when he was omitted from Luis Enrique’s Super Cup squad and it became clear the shot-stopper was being frozen out at the Parc des Princes, United sought to squash the speculation that they were one of Donnarumma’s suitors.
United decide against Donnarumma pursuit to stick with current options
Manchester City are now advancing in their pursuit of the Italy captain – despite re-signing academy product James Trafford from Burnley last month. In turn, Ederson is in talks over a potential switch to Galatasaray.
United, meanwhile, started the campaign with Altay Bayindir between the sticks to face Arsenal due to Andre Onana’s hamstring injury rendering him unavailable for their season-opener. Neither has covered themself in glory over the last two years, hence why it came as such a surprise that INEOS were not planning to facilitate a goalkeeper signing this transfer window.
Bolstering Ruben Amorim’s frontline was the utmost priority heading into the summer, and that task has been adequately fulfilled following the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. It’s thought any other arrivals at Old Trafford are likely to be in the midfield, meaning Onana and Bayindir will juggle the responsibilities for the foreseeable future.
Rooney: It’s ‘crazy’ if United don’t move for Donnarumma
That wouldn’t be the case if it were up to Rooney, though.
When addressing Donnarumma’s future, Rooney expressed: “I think it [a new No.1] has to be [a key thing Amorim sorts out in the final weeks of the window].
“I go back to when we had Roy Carroll and Tim Howard in goal. I don’t think there was 100 per cent trust from the defenders in front of them two goalkeepers, but the minute [Edwin] van der Sar came in, [he] calms everything down, the defenders trust him a lot more.
“Onana’s come in, you know, he’s a fantastic ‘keeper, but he certainly didn’t fill us with confidence last season. I think with Donnarumma, he’s 26, he’s one of the best ‘keepers in the world. It’d be crazy if United don’t go for him.”
Donnarumma to Manchester United?
Here’s why I think it could be a great move….
👀 Watch the full clip on my brand-new YouTube channel now – https://t.co/aQieXFv2Ku pic.twitter.com/Qw0rAQVrGr
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) August 18, 2025
