Marcus Rashford – A Cause For Concern

A debate has raged amongst the United faithful this season as to why Marcus Rashford’s form has taken such a downturn. It is sad to see a player who burst onto the scene back in February 2016 now enduring a lean spell in his football career. You have to remember that he is only 24 years old and has still to reach his peak. He is one of several United players who have not been enjoying a good season. Questions are being raised with regards to his future at the club. He has one year remaining on his current contract, though United have the option to extend it by another year.

A Deep Connection With United

You cannot argue Rashford’s dedication and love for United. It runs deep having been with us since the age of seven. If he did ever decide to leave, it would be a bitter pill to swallow given what he has done and potentially he can do in the future. Tracing where his form declined probably goes back to the Euros last summer. He did not get much game time and had been one of two players that missed the crucial penalties in the final against Italy. Rashford was also nursing a shoulder injury, with the operation on it being concluded after the tournament. This resulted in him missing the first two months of the Premier League.

It was believed that a fully fit Marcus Rashford could show his best form going forwards after scoring 20+ goals the season before whilst injured. When Rashford returned from his injury, the United side were in turmoil with poor form and inconsistent results. A change of manager came about with Ralf Rangnick replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjær on an interim basis until the end of the season.

Amongst the United fans, there are not many grumbles when we are not seeing Rashford in the starting eleven. It is clear for us all to see, he is a shadow of the player that he once was. We would all love for Rashford to be the exciting player that we fell in love with since breaking into the first team.

Not Just Rashford’s Fault

For Rashford to get his back to best form, he needs a consistent run of games. Obviously, this is hard to come by at the moment. However, the former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær and interim boss Ralf Rangnick would argue they had given him enough chances to impress. He has played in a variety of roles across the pitch this season. Rashford has only scored 5 goals in 26 appearances for United. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has become the focal point of our attack has managed 18 goals in 33 appearances.

Ralf Rangnick explains that Rashford needs to translate the good work he is doing in training onto the pitch during match-days. He said of him, “He has abundant talent; everything you need for a striker.”

Rashford is not the only person in such poor form within the United squad. Our forwards have been grim under Rangnick. Ronaldo has rescued us a number of times during the season. Without him, United would find themselves in a much worse position. Serious consideration will be given when looking at our playing squad as to who remains or who leaves the club at the end of the season.

A STARK CONTRAST

Some of the best performances given by Rashford are when he has a point to prove. Back in December 2019, the position of Ole Gunnar Solskjær was under threat, and United’s chances of reaching the top four were intensifying. In the game against Tottenham at Old Trafford, he was fuelled with intent and scored two goals in our 2-1 win. The game against RB Leipzig in the Champions League group stage in October 2020 showed how good Rashford can be. He came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute and within 27 minutes, he scored his first hat-trick for the club.

You can see the contrast in him when he came on as a substitute during our Champions League defeat against Atletico Madrid. He gave the ball away and then a foul. This allowed the opposition to waste even more time, which United could ill afford. Rashford looked ineffective. When he looks to take on the opposition, confidence, and trust in his ability to make that difference in the game are all missing. In the away game at City, Rashford was the same again. It has been long said that this United side is lacking leaders all over the pitch. Rashford needs that leader to put their arm around him and help.

His Future At THE Club

Rashford was heckled after the Madrid game when leaving Old Trafford. Most of the time, players will ignore it. Obviously what had been said had clearly upset him and so he reacted to it. He is human after all. It is clear it hurts him that people are questioning him. He would want nothing more to return to his best form for club and country.

With the abuse, lack of form, and the direction of the club, it is no wonder that rumours have circulated that he is considering his future away from United. Former player Gary Neville recently said it would “be a failure for United’s football department” if Rashford were allowed to leave.

Can Rashford Find His Best Form Again?

It is now a question of whether Rashford has that same fire to battle back from this bad run of form. United have signed Jadon Sancho and everyone thought he would be fulfilling the right-wing position. However, Sancho has been highly effective on the left-wing, which is also Rashford’s favoured position. This is another challenge for him.

Rashford’s bad form has resulted in him not being selected for the England squad since the conclusion of Euros back in the summer. Gareth Southgate has said, “He knows he is in a situation where he has not been getting in the United team consistently and he will be searching as much as anybody to get that form back.” He indicated that he would sit down with Rashford after the upcoming international games to find out what is happening.

The relationship between United and Rashford is a bit uneasy. United do have to take some of the blame for his current form. This is at a time when it should be blossoming. With a new manager on the way, this could be the turning point for him and we could see the very best of Rashford again.