The lack of attacking threat by Manchester United was discussed by Gab. (0:42)
If Marcus Rashford ever needed to be put into sharp focus about his situation with Manchester United and England, he got that in the space of 24 hours this weekend.
The draw that gave England a favorable path to the latter stages of the World Cup was mapped out by the young player on Friday. After being left out of the England squad for the recent friendly against Switzerland and the upcoming World Cup, Marcus Rashford knows he has to fight his way back into the team. He was a central figure in the team which reached the semifinals at Russia and he will likely see himself back in the fold.
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After his United career hit another low point, the furthest thing from his mind was Qatar. He was named to the bench by the interim manager, but instead started with a team that didn't have a single goal scorer. Bruno Fernandes was selected as a false No. 9 and Marcus Rashford was on the bench for a game that United really needed to win to keep alive their hopes of a top-four finish.
After being sent on by Rangnick to help push the team to victory, Marcus Rashford was unable to make a positive impact. During his 35 minutes on the pitch, he touched the ball just 14 times and failed to register a shot, assist or tackle. In the Manchester derby on March 6, Marcus Rashford only came off the bench after 64 minutes as United lost 4-1 at the City, but at least that was an away match against the league leaders and defending champion.
Many will argue that the form of Marcus Rashford this season does not merit a starting spot in the United team and that he should not be in the England squad. It is difficult to argue against that, especially as some of the recent performances of Rashford have been so bad that he becomes a ghost in games.
He had not been away from international duty for two weeks, so his failure to make the starting XI was significant. It was clear from the fact that he has little faith in a player who was once seen as the golden boy for club and country, that he has little faith in a player who only made it onto the bench.
The player and United are not blameless for his failure to be the player he should be. He was used far too often by United, despite the concerns of physical exhaustion in younger players. Between the years of 2016 and 2020-21, he made an average of 50.6 appearances a season, with international involvement at Euro 2016 and the World Cup on top of that.
After a stress fracture in his back ruled him out for the rest of the season in January 2020, he returned in June. Last season was his busiest yet, with 57 games for United, and it ended with him undergoing shoulder surgery after the European Championship to correct an injury that he had continued playing with for months. He returned to action in October without having a preseason campaign to recover his fitness, and has since made 27 appearances in all competitions.
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According to sources, the United players have been unhappy with the lack of top-class coaching at the club and the failure to improve players can be seen in the unfulfilled potential of the likes of Anthony Martial.
Sources have said that the club have tried to convince Marcus to reduce his off-field work for good causes in order to focus, but that they have been let down by over-working him and not providing the elite coaches to make him a better player.
Where is he going from here? At 24 years old, he should be at the peak of his career. He has pace, a proven goal-scoring record and the ability to play anywhere across the front three, qualities that could make him a star of the World Cup later this year and the leading light in a new era under a new coach at United.
According to sources, United want him to sign a new contract to replace his current one, which runs until June 2024, if the club decide to extend it for another year. The club's next full-time manager might regard him as a problem he can do without, if he decides that United aren't delivering for him.
There is a chance that a new boss will give Marcus Rashford the chance to get his United career back on track, as well as regain his England place in time for the World Cup. Something needs to change for Rashford. His weekend made that clear.
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