Wayne Rooney Comments on Memphis Depay After Chelsea vs. Manchester United

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has rushed to the defence of team-mate Memphis Depay after his attacking partner was lambasted for the role he played in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Chelsea.  

Depay came under criticism after he gave the ball away in a move that eventually led to Diego Costa's 91st-minute equaliser at Stamford Bridge, but Rooney insisted there were more factors at play, per the Daily Mirror's David McDonnell:

"

Memphis is a fantastic player and that happens, we all give bad passes away. A lot of things happened from when you give the ball away to when they've scored the goal, so I don't think we can stand here and blame Memphis. I think we're all disappointed and I think there were other things which happened and why they've scored.

The game was broken up a bit, we gave too many free-kicks away and then we couldn't get up the pitch. It's a disappointing result in the end. I thought we played some nice stuff and it feels like a defeat in the end. We've performed well and played some good stuff again but, overall, it's at this stage of the season that results matter and we dropped two points.

"

Just before Chelsea ran the ball up the pitch to cancel out Jesse Lingard's 61st-minute opener, Depay had the opportunity to square the ball to Morgan Schneiderlin and potentially seal all three points.

Some came out to voice their discontent with the winger following that error in judgement, including the Daily Mail's Craig Hope and Shamoon Hafez of BBC Sport:

"

If Memphis Depay doesn't give Chelsea the ball back far too easily on the right wing then that doesn't happen. Was he really £30m? #CFCvMUFC

— Craig Hope (@CraigHope_DM) February 7, 2016"

The former PSV Eindhoven ace has endured a rough start to his Premier League career since completing a £25 million move to Old Trafford last summer, and Sunday's slip-up hasn't helped his plight.

Having said that, fans might be encouraged to see Rooney standing up for his fellow Red Devil, who's undoubtedly eager to see him emerge from his murky patch and recapture the form he enjoyed in the Eredivisie.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Manchester United will hope the Netherlands international can respond positively to the criticism he's received this season and unearth a richer vein of form at such a crucial juncture in their campaign.

The mistake at Stamford Bridge even caught the attention of Guardians of the Galaxy actor Alexis Rodney, who heaped further embarrassment on the forward:

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was also quoted by McDonnell, and the Irishman voiced his disappointment for those fans who boo the team of the manager, telling them to "get behind the team."

Perhaps a renewed show of faith from the Old Trafford crowd would help Depay get over his jitters and rediscover his best form, but many will likely prove hard to convince until some improvements are made up front.