Wayne Rooney calls out Marcus Rashford after 'inconsistent environment' Man Utd excuse

Suraj Radia
Suraj Radia
  • 17 Oct 2025 07:13 CDT
  • 4 min read
Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Man Utd
© IMAGO

Wayne Rooney has cast doubt on Marcus Rashford’s claim that his struggles at Manchester United were due to an ‘inconsistent environment’ and believes the on-loan Barcelona star needs to take more responsibility for his situation.

Article continues under the video

Rashford’s time at Old Trafford appears to have come to a disappointing end, having once been considered the future of the club after coming through the academy.

Current ETV
Player image Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Barcelona logo

Barcelona

Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Barcelona

Barcelona

€54.5M

ETV Range

€49M - €59.9M

The England international revealed this week that he felt his career had stagnated due to the environment at United but Rooney suggested that Rashford’s response was an ‘easy’ deflection of his own failures.

"I think the environment hasn't been right but that is down to yourself,” Rooney said on his podcast ‘The Wayne Rooney Show’.

“If you are not playing well or you get left out of the team then I think it is easier to blame the environment and 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 is 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."

Rashford blames ‘so many changes’ for inconsistent time at United

Rashford has found some form since being told that he had no future at United by Ruben Amorim, first during a stint with Aston Villa last season before joining Barcelona in the summer, with the Catalans considering signing him on a permanent basis.

Marcus Rashford has been back to his best for Barcelona.
© IMAGO - Marcus Rashford has been back to his best for Barcelona.

The 27-year-old spoke about question marks over his inconsistency, telling ITV: "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.

"But I completely agree, I think consistency is what I need to bring into my game, and I am looking to do that. I want to be at my best, not sometimes, but as often as possible.

"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. When I am at my best, I really enjoy everything about the sport."

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

App Store