Wayne Rooney says free agent Luis Suarez isn't right for DC United, arguing he prefers players "who are hungry". Rooney took charge of the MLS club this week and was asked about potential signings, but indicated he would look more to up-and-coming options to bolster his squad.
Suarez, 35, left Atletico Madrid after last season and is looking for a new club to keep him fresh ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
He recently said he had received several MLS offers as he considered his future.
What did Rooney say about Suarez?
“I respect Luis Suarez a lot – he’s an incredible player – but what I want players who are hungry," he said in a press conference.
"I want players to come to this club who are hungry and who want to come to the club but also have a lot to give and are capable of playing every game, attending every training session.
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"So we’re working extremely hard to identify the right profile of players we want to bring in and I’m sure in the near future, we’ll have an announcement to make on new signings.”
How has Suarez performed recently?
The Uruguay star was exceptional in his first season at Atletico Madrid in 2020-21, netting 21 times as the club stormed to a league title, but his form dropped last year. He started 10 fewer games and scored 10 fewer goals in 2021-22.
On a possible MLS move, he told Radio Sport: "The market in MLS is very complex, some clubs want you but they don't have the slots, and so it would have to be for January. Other clubs want you now but I have to evaluate if they have a chance to qualify for the playoffs.
"I'm not closing the door to anyone and I've listened to all the offers, but if some MLS teams don't qualify for the playoffs, they end their season in the first week of October, and that's not useful for me because I would stop for a month ahead of the World Cup, which wouldn't be good for me."
