The End: Marcus Rashford

Karan Ahgun

— 4 min read
The End: Marcus Rashford

After being dropped for the Manchester Derby last Sunday, speculation surrounding Marcus Rashford's future was fuelled when the England forward did an interview in which he said that he is "ready for a new challenge". So is a move away from Manchester United the best path forward or is there still a chance for Rashford to recapture his form of 2 years ago?

It has been a long time since Manchester United fans have seen consistently good performances from Marcus Rashford and the appointment of Ruben Amorim was seen by many as the last chance for the forward to recapture his best form in a fight to keep his place in the United squad. Under Amorim, Rashford has scored 3 goals in 2 Premier League starts but underperformance in training saw him and Alejandro Garnacho dropped from the squad ahead of the Manchester Derby, in a game which he has scored often. When the news broke, there was an initial period of shock but when you think about it, it shouldn't have come as a surprise considering the quality of recent performances from both players. The decision feels like it was the final straw for Rashford and as a result, the interview with Henry Winter was conducted to signal clubs that he is available for transfer, preferably in January.

After his best-ever scoring season in 2022/23, Marcus Rashford was rewarded with a bumper new contract which sees him on a reported ÂŁ350,000 a week wage for 5 years. Whilst the wages shouldn't be a factor in the analysis of a player's performance, one can't help but wonder whether becoming the club's best paid player might have affected Rashford's hunger to go on and keep producing consistent, top performances. Rashford has also been mismanaged since that season, playing in a deeper position meaning that he had less of a chance to contribute on attacking plays for United. But now under Amorim, Rashford has been given chances across the front 3 positions and has flattered to deceive. After his first game against Ipswich Town, Amorim already knew that the No.9 role was not suited to Rashford and even when he's played in the wide No.10 positions, the performances are lacklustre. Since scoring twice against Everton in a 4-0 win, Rashford's performances have taken a big dip and his performance against Viktoria Plzen was one of the worst he's produced in a United shirt.

There is a feeling that Rashford is being forced out by the club and it could be the case that he did the interview as a way to get ahead of the news and save face. Rashford has been a victim of the mismanagement at Manchester United and as such, has been one of the main scapegoats for United's failings. As an academy graduate, the expectations for Rashford are higher (maybe too high). These expectations could be a huge weight to carry and could be the reason why Rashford wants to move away from his boyhood club. In addition to criticism of his on-pitch performance, his lifestyle away from football has been criticised too. This criticism has been unreasonable to a point where it feels like an attempt by some of the press to assassinate Rashford's character. Comments about what he wears, flashy jewellery and sports cars have nothing to do with Rashford's performances for Manchester United on the pitch and are all part of what seems to be an agenda from the British press to bring him down. We shouldn't be surprised by this though. Raheem Sterling faced the same thing when he was excelling at Manchester City and it is something that should change in the coverage of football.

Whilst Marcus Rashford is a Red at heart, it looks as though his Manchester United career has run its course unfortunately. With time, United fans will remember some of the good things that Rashford has done for the club, including his braces against FC Midtjylland and Arsenal in his first couple of appearances for the club. Overall, a move away will be best for all parties and we can hope that Rashford gets back to enjoying his football once again!

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