Ghana international Mohammed Kudus has become “a breath of fresh air” for former Man Utd forward and the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.

This comes after Kudus played a crucial role in Spurs' win against Leeds United in their game at Elland Road on Saturday, October 4.

Just twenty-three minutes into the game, Kudus passed the ball to Mathys Tel, whose deflected shot gave Spurs the lead.

Leeds equalised Spurs’ lead in the 34th minute through Noah Okafor. However, after twenty-three (23) minutes, Kudus notched a goal in the 57th minute with a superb finish from the edge of the box, restoring his team’s lead.

This has earned him some praise from Rooney, who lauded him for his form since joining Spurs on July 10 in a £55 million transfer from West Ham United.

Rooney, speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, lauded Kudus’s all-round contribution.

“I think he’s been a breath of fresh air. When you look at the stats from today’s game against Leeds, he’s first in every category: duels won, successful dribbles, shots, touches in the opposition box, and sprints. He’s had a real impact for Tottenham this season,” the England legend said.

In a breakdown of his performance statistics since joining Tottenham, Rooney explained that “he’s got four assists, which is joint-highest in the Premier League right now, and by far the most successful dribbles. All that was missing was the goal, and I think that strike today will push him to the next level,” he added.

Kudus will now turn his attention to international duty, as he joins the Ghana national team ahead of their decisive 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against the Central African Republic and Comoros later this month.

Rooney praising Kudus for being "a breath of fresh air" comes on the sidelines of his recent frustration with his former club, Man Utd, for their devastating performance in recent times highlighting that his faith in Amorim’s leadership is dead now.

Wayne Rooney made these comments on a BBC podcast, which was aired on September 29, following Manchester United’s 3-1 loss to Brentford on September 27.

According to Rooney, he sees faith in Ruben Amorim to turn things around at Manchester United and believes the soul has gone from his former club.

"I just don't know what's going on. I have tried my hand at management, and it didn't work out too well, so I get it. Ruben Amorim is my age, he's still a young manager, and I'm sure he's got a massive future, but what's going on at Man Utd, this is not Man Utd. I honestly hope he can turn it around, and he does. But… after everything I've seen, honestly, I've got no faith in it," he said on his BBC podcast.

Man Utd appointed Ruben Amorim in November, and for about ten months now, the Reds haven’t seen any significant revival in their fortunes. The team keep regressing when fans anticipated a turnaround after the dismissal of Erik ten Hag in October 2024 for his poor run. Head coach Amorim has taken just 34 points from his 33 Premier League games in charge.

Despite the ongoing poor form, which includes last month's Carabao Cup exit at League Two Grimsby, Amorim reportedly retains the backing of United's board.

United endured their worst Premier League campaign last season, finishing 15th, their lowest position since they were relegated from the old First Division in 1974.

He fumed over players' dead desire to fight and win, adding that he goes to games expecting the team to lose and feels some players do not deserve to represent the club.

"I don't recognise the whole football club. I don't see players fighting, I don't see character, I don't see desire to win. I go to a game watching… expecting the team to lose or maybe pick up a point. The soul has gone from the club. It needs a new engine, a new lease of life. It needs something to kickstart that football club. What is going on? This is not all on the manager, by the way. Players, they're not deserving to wear that shirt, and it hurts.”

With passion, he spoke about how the culture of the club has died, citing how people on the sidelines are quitting and others being laid off; everything shows this is not the Man Utd he knows. Expressing fears about the potential of it affecting his two children, who are currently enrolled in the club’s academy.

"The culture of that football club has gone," added the former England captain. I see it daily, I see staff losing jobs, people walking out of jobs. I've got two kids [in the academy] at that football club, and I really hope this doesn't affect what they're doing -what I'm seeing at that football club is not Manchester United

United, who sit 14th in the table, return to action on Saturday at home to Sunderland before travelling to leaders Liverpool after the October international break.

Rooney has been quite vocal about his former club’s status recently. Manchester United suffered an embarrassing defeat to Manchester City yesterday, Sunday, 14 September at the Etihad Stadium. The Reds lost against their rivals in a 0-3 derby with a brace from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden.

mentioned that fans were so disappointed that they began to leave the stadium with chants of Amorim’s name. There are no signs of recovery for the once celebrated and results-oriented Man Utd that had its name on the lips of fans all the time.

“I think if the manager is honest with himself, it has got worse. I want to be as supportive and positive as I can be with the manager and the players. But it is very difficult to sit here and say we are seeing progression, and at least we’re seeing things that will get results in the near future.

“I think after the last year when Ten Hag got sacked and Ruben came in, we’re hearing how they’re going to play and it is going to change,” said Rooney, who scored 253 goals for United between 2004 and 2017.

“We’re seeing none of that, and it is very difficult. There was an image towards the end of the game where I saw the Manchester United fans leaving. You could hear the fans singing Amorim’s name, but I think that is so powerful that the United fans were leaving the game. You know the game is over, and I think they were very disappointed in what they were seeing. It is hard to see how it continues”, he questioned.

He went on to question, “What are the patterns? What are we seeing that might improve the team moving forward?”

United finished 15th in the league last term with 42 points, their lowest position since 1989–90. They earned their fewest points in a top-flight season since they were last relegated in 1973–74.Since Amorim’s arrival, they have spent about £250m on new signings, while shipping out most of their so-called ‘bomb squad’.

This has allowed the 40-year-old coach to revamp his side into a 3-4-3 system that he has vowed not to deviate from after enjoying success with Sporting.