India, Dec. 28 -- England football icon Wayne Rooney was far from convinced by Manchester United's display, even after they edged past Newcastle United 1-0. The win pushed United up to sixth in the Premier League table, but the performance did little to silence doubts. It has been a stop-start season, with United grinding out results rather than controlling matches. Too often, they have looked disjointed, lacking rhythm and authority, especially against quality opposition. For Rooney, the result mattered, but the bigger concern was that the overall approach still doesn't inspire much confidence.

Ruben Amorim's methods were also questioned early in the season, especially during a run when results went against Manchester United. Despite th...