Former England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has called on Arsenal supporters to step up their backing for the team during the critical final stretch of the Premier League season.
Rooney, speaking on his podcast, expressed concern over recent fan reactions, particularly the boos heard at the Emirates Stadium following Arsenal's 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth earlier this month. He emphasized that such negativity could impact players who have worked tirelessly to put the club in title contention.
"I think the Arsenal fans need to be better," Rooney stated. "Arsenal have been brilliant all season and they've hit a little bad run of form. They need to understand how much the fan support means to the players and how much it can help you."
The Gunners' title hopes suffered a significant setback with a 2-1 loss at Manchester City on Sunday, allowing the defending champions to close the gap to just three points with a game in hand. This has intensified pressure on Mikel Arteta's side, which is seeking its first league championship in over two decades.
Rooney contrasted the atmosphere at Arsenal with the consistent support shown to Manchester United during their recent struggles under managers Erik ten Hag and interim coach Ralf Rangnick.
"If you look at Manchester United for instance... the fans were right behind the manager and backed the manager at the stadium," he noted. "Arsenal have been top of the league all season, they're in the Champions League semi-finals and they lose against Bournemouth and they get booed off?"
With five matches remaining, Arsenal faces the challenge of holding off Manchester City's charge while overcoming memories of last season's late collapse, when they led the table for 248 days before finishing second.
Rooney believes fan support could be the decisive factor in whether Arsenal can finally end their long wait for Premier League glory.
"I think for Arsenal to win the league, the Arsenal fans need to play their part," he concluded. "The fans need to be better for the players and back the players a little bit more because that will have hurt the Arsenal players, 100%."