Rooney: Spurs Are Definitely Fighting Relegation Battle After United Humbling

Tottenham's woes have deepened considerably, and Wayne Rooney isn't mincing words about their predicament. The Manchester United icon reckons Spurs are unmistakably caught up in a battle to avoid the drop, a damning assessment of a club that should be nowhere near such talk.

The north London outfit's weekend capitulation at Old Trafford—a deserved 2-0 reverse—has left them winless across their last seven Premier League outings. Perched precariously in 15th place, they now sit just six points clear of West Ham United in 18th. Factor in Cristian Romero's four-game suspension following his red card, and matters look decidedly grim.

"With their current form, you'd have to say they are in a relegation battle," Rooney explained on The Wayne Rooney Show. "West Ham have been picking up results, Nottingham Forest have shown they can win games. You can't dismiss the possibility—they're definitely going to be looking over their shoulders."

Romero's dismissal drew mixed reactions, with Rooney suggesting the punishment was somewhat harsh, though he acknowledged the Argentine's broader pattern of losing discipline during his Spurs tenure. More troubling, perhaps, is the captain's recent verbal outbursts about the club's transfer activity, which Rooney feels only heaps additional pressure on the dugout.

"When you're as vocal as he's been, you need to back it up with performances," Rooney said. "That just adds more burden on Thomas Frank."

Speaking of Frank, the Tottenham manager remains the betting favourite to be shown the door first among Premier League bosses this season. Yet Rooney finds himself feeling sympathetic towards the Dane, observing that the relentless demands of the Spurs job appear to be visibly draining him.

"He looks exhausted, like he's aged a decade in a short space of time," Rooney reflected. "That's what this Tottenham position has done to him. I'd hope they back him, because he's a fine manager, but realistically it's going to be tremendously difficult for them to do so. Having your captain getting sent off regularly or creating headlines the way he has this week doesn't help matters one bit."

Tottenham have at least secured Champions League knockout football, though they've already been dumped out of both domestic cup competitions. Their league form and performances, however, have been decidedly unconvincing.