Manchester United: Wayne Rooney dismisses criticism of his performances as 'rubbish'

The 30-year-old's role in Jose Mourinho's side has come under scrutiny

Rooney's recent performances have been widely criticised (Getty)

Wayne Rooney has defended himself against claims he should be dropped from Manchester United’s starting line-up and dismissed recent criticism of him as “rubbish”.

The 30-year-old’s place in Jose Mourinho’s side has come under scrutiny this season, and a substandard display in Wednesday’s 3-1 EFL Cup win at Northampton Town did little to silence the critics.

Rooney, however, has insisted that he is not paying attention to the debate around his performances and is only concentrating on working hard for his team.

“I think I’ve had that my whole career,” he said. “A little bit more of late, I think, but that’s football.

“I listen to my coaches and my team-mates, the people around me, and I don’t really listen to what a lot of people out there are saying because a lot of it is rubbish.

"I have to focus, work hard, of course, and I’ve done that throughout my career. I’ve worked hard and tried to do my best for the team.”

Rooney has attempted to reinvent himself as a central midfielder in recent months, but his displays in the role have been largely unconvincing.

United’s club captain now believes he will predominantly play in the forward line under Mourinho, who deployed him as a striker in Wednesday’s win at Sixfields.

“I feel I can play in all positions, but I think the manager has made it clear either I’ll play up front or in the No.10 and that’s where he sees me playing.

“As I said before, it’s not just myself – the whole team is going in and working hard. We had a bad week but we’ve been working hard to put that right.

"That’s football, I think. We don’t win in three games and, of course, everyone is going to talk about it.

“We had a bad week, a bad eight days where we’ve lost three games, and it’s important now we react well to that and come through that."

Rooney is in line to start once again when United host defending champions Leicester City in Saturday's lunchtime Premier League kick-off.