You're a world-beater... now you need to show everyone else, Marcus

MARCUS RASHFORD has come in for a bit of stick for suggesting his long spells of mediocre form in recent times have, in part, been down to an “inconsistent environment”.

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Neither Roy Keane nor Wayne Rooney were particularly savage in their responses to that suggestion, but both came up with mildly stinging rebukes for Rashford

“He was part of the problem with the environment, said Keane.

Rooney had a similar script, saying: “I think the environment has not been right, but that is down to yourself”

Considering that there has been the odd situation in which Rashford’s behaviour away from the pitch has been questioned, Rooney and Keane might well have a point.

But any idea Rashford has behaved like some sort of serial wrong 'un over the last couple of years is way, way off the mark.

A couple of misjudgements? Yes. But anything serious? No.

And if Rashford was referring to managerial churn when he spoke about an “inconsistent environment”, then he also has a point.

Since he made his Manchester United debut in 2016, there have been - including three interim or caretaker bosses — eight managers at Old Trafford.