Wayne Rooney challenges Marcus Rashford’s “inconsistent environment” claim

Wayne Rooney has questioned Marcus Rashford’s (27) assertion that an “ inconsistent environment ” at Manchester United hindered his form, suggesting instead that the forward’s struggles stemmed from personal application rather than club instability.

Rashford, who netted 138 goals in 426 appearances for United, enjoyed a career-best 30-goal season in 2022-23 before a sharp decline saw him fall out of favour under Ruben Amorim. The 27-year-old spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa before joining Barcelona, where he has rediscovered his spark.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show , the former United captain offered a pointed response to Rashford’s recent comments, which implied that United’s turbulent management and shifting culture had stifled consistency.

“ I think the environment hasn’t been right ,” Rooney conceded, “ but that is down to yourself. If you are not playing well or get left out, it’s easy to blame the environment. That comes from how you apply yourself. We’ve seen games where Marcus can do more, that’s not the environment, that’s effort .”

Rooney, who mentored Rashford during the forward’s early years at Old Trafford, described him as “ a good lad ” but warned that attributing inconsistency to external factors “ is an easy one to throw at people .”

GFN | Finn Entwistle

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