Blame yourself — Rooney fires back after Rashford fingers 'inconsistent' environment at Man United for career struggles

Wayne Rooney told Marcus Rashford to take some personal responsibility after the England international suggested that the ‘inconsistent’ environment at Manchester United was the reason for his poor form in recent years. 

The 27-year-old was pushed out of Manchester United after a lengthy run of form and a falling out with head coach Ruben Amorim. He is currently at Barcelona, where he has slowly been building momentum. 

In a recent interview, Rashford said he was confident he would soon return to his best and blamed Manchester United’s environment for his previous poor form. 

“For sure, consistency is a massive part of it. I feel like I have been in an inconsistent environment for a very long time, so it is even more difficult to be consistent,” Rashford said.

“When people talk about consistency, in order to be consistent in anything, not just sport, you need consistent variables in your life and the way you train.

“We have just had so many changes so far in my career, but I have to look forward and that is definitely one of the things I want to put right and improve on to be at my best more often.”

Rooney, who played for Manchester United from 2004 to 2017, scoring 253 goals in 259 appearances, disagreed with Rashford's assessment, urging the Barcelona star to look inward. 

“I think the environment hasn't been right but that is down to yourself,” he said, per the BBC. 

"If you are not playing well or you get left out of the team, then I think it is easier to blame the environment, whether that is right or wrong. I think that comes from how you apply yourself.

"In games we have seen with him where we know he can do more, we know he can run more – that has nothing to do with an environment.

"I might be wrong here; I really like Marcus as a lad and as a person but I think that is an easy one to throw at people."