Rooney believes Manchester United has a bigger problem than lack of work rate under interim manager Carrick.

Rooney said: "I think in many matches they're content to sit in a mid-block, and what does that mean? Think of José Mourinho when he first managed Chelsea—his team was a classic mid-block team.

"But when the ball shifts from one side to the other, they would be very aggressive, press forward, get tight on you, make it very uncomfortable to play against them—terrifying to face them. And I think Manchester United is also in a mid-block now, but they're not pressing forward. So they're playing quite passively."

Manchester United's lack of aggression was evident in the first half when Tottenham pressed Carrick's side at Old Trafford. The Red Devils managed to turn things around before the break, but United lacked the intensity to press Tottenham's players with the drive their style of play requires.

"So you definitely want your players to step up and press the opposition tightly, but they're not doing it, so the opposition doesn't find it difficult to play against them," Rooney added.

"So the problem isn't that the players aren't running, it's that they're lacking that aggression and not pressing forward the way Carrick might want them to. So I think they're just stuck."

"They need to get out of this rut, because if they don't, any visiting team coming to Old Trafford or playing against Manchester United will think, 'You know what, as long as we keep the ball and shift the tempo, we can break them down.'"

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