Rashford is considering his future at Man United, and the club should create a market to sell him.
On the surface, it was the last thing Manchester United needed on Monday morning. Fabrizio Romano reported that Marcus Rashford is ‘considering his future’ at Old Trafford after being dropped for the team’s 4-1 loss against Manchester City. The news broke in the middle of a crisis for the Red Devils.
On Sunday, Man United were humiliated at the Etihad Stadium. During the match, they were called an ’embarrassment’ by Gary Neville on commentary for Sky Sports. After the game on the same channel, Roy Keane said ‘five or six’ of the players should never play for the club again.
Man United were kicked from pillar to post, shamed on the pitch and lambasted off it on social media and in the punditry studio. The club is in a state.
And this is the moment that the leak about Rashford comes out.
In the middle of an existential crisis for the once-mighty Man United, their most popular player, a homegrown star who came through the academy, appeared to make it known that he may leave if he doesn’t get more game time.
Surely things can’t get any worse for the club, right?
Yet, rather than add to United’s plight, the Rashford news is an open goal for a club that almost never make the right decision. Rather than viewing it as a threat, Man United should now create a market for the forward, who appears unlikely to fulfil his potential.
This is an excellent opportunity to start dismantling their underperforming squad, beginning with a player who, unfortunately, appears to have already peaked.
Marcus Rashford’s situation at Man United.
It is understandable that Rashford is unhappy about being dropped. Man United were missing Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani through injury, but Ralf Rangnick still didn’t trust Rashford to lead the line.
Professional football is a short career. Rashford will be 25 later this year and he wants to play as much as possible, especially in the biggest games. However, on the other hand, Rangnick was fully justified in dropping the England forward. His contribution on and off the ball didn’t warrant inclusion.
Rashford ranks firmly in mid-table for pressing stats. According to FBref, he has made 66 attempts to press opponents in Man United’s final third, which is just one attempt more than Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, two players not renowned for their aptitude to press high. FBref statistics show that Rashford is in the bottom 30 per cent of players in the Premier League for pressing success.
He has won the ball for Man United with three tackles this season – which is one less than Daniel James, who played three times for United this campaign before departing for Leeds United in August. He forward averages just 0.52 tackles per game – only Ronaldo and Anthony Martial rank lower for this metric of Man United’s outfield players. Rashford doesn’t appear to be working hard enough for the team, or he has not yet adapted to Rangnick’s way of playing. Either way, it’s a problem for United.
Beyond these defensive statistics, Rashford has not played well this season and he certainly has not been effective in the final third. He began the campaign with a shoulder injury but still has not regained sharpness, form or confidence. The forward’s form has been in steady decline since the 2019/20 season when he scored 17 goals and registered 11 assists in the Premier League.
Last season, he scored 11 goals in 27 league games. He has scored four times in 18 appearances this season. Beyond the statistics, Rashford arguably often makes poor decisions on the pitch. He opts for power shots too often, runs down blind alleys and sometimes squanders promising moves for United.
Rashford has had moments of quality over the last few years, but he has lost the momentum from his breakthrough season in 2016. In fact, he has suffered more than any player at Old Trafford due to the club’s drift in recent years.
Rashford’s potential.
Rashford looked to be an incredible prospect under Louis van Gaal and appeared to have the potential to become a Brazilian Ronaldo style centre-forward. He scored a stunning winner against Man City in his first season that displayed the hallmarks of an elite centre forward. Collecting the ball 30 yards from goal, he immediately got his head up, dribbled by a City defender and calmly slotted the ball past Joe Hart in goal.
Rashford’s natural attributes were evident. He was lightning fast over 10 to 15 yards, a skilful dribbler and ice-cold in front of goal – and he was working under a coach who would help him develop technically and tactically. Van Gaal had his critics, but he had an impressive record of improving young players. Yet, the Dutchman was sacked, and Rashford suffered.
Marcus Rashford is considering his future. He's concerned about his lack of game time, source close to Man Utd forward tell me – he's always been professional but he wants clarity. 🔴🏴 #MUFC
His current Manchester United deal runs out in June 2023. pic.twitter.com/nYOvGld4W0
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 7, 2022
Under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Rashford’s development stagnated. One manager moved him out to the wing in favour of target-men at centre-forward – Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku. The other was not a detailed orientated coach. One can only imagine how good Rashford could have become working under Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp or Mauricio Pochettino at this stage of his career.
Under Rangnick, Rashford has not been trusted to start at centre-forward and the statistics suggest he isn’t a natural fit for the German. Man United’s next coach – possibly Pochettino or Eric ten Hag – will want them to play in a similar way to Rangnick. Where will that leave Rashford? Particularly as he has seemingly made it clear that he doesn’t want to warm the bench. The obvious option appears to be for Man United to create a market to sell their most valuable first-team asset.
Why Man United should sell Rashford.
Rashford is the 12th most valuable footballer in the world, according to Transfermarkt. The England forward is valued at €85m. Rashford, however, arguably isn’t even among the best 20 players in Manchester, never mind the world.
If Man United have any football sense – and the last decade has shown us that they don’t – they would now be creating a market for a player who is unlikely to improve to the level required at this stage of his career.
Yes, Rashford is a homegrown Man United star, who has done wonderful charity work in recent years. He should be the face of the club for the next decade. But, United need to be logical about the situation. If Rashford were to extend his contract in 2023, it would likely keep him at Old Trafford for the rest of his 20s. Will he significantly improve in that time? The evidence suggests that, at best, there’s a 50/50 chance.
If Man United were to receive a silly offer – such as the offer Liverpool got for Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona in 2018 (€140m) – then surely the wise thing to do would be to sell him and start to rebuild their squad.
Could Man United get €150m from Newcastle United for Rashford? It’s not beyond possibility. Newcastle will undoubtedly want to make a marquee signing in the summer. Their owners have billions to spend and want to wash their image. What better way to do that than sign the most popular footballer in British football?
Whether Rashford would want to join Newcastle is unclear, and Paris Saint-Germain are said to be interested in him. If Man United were wise, they’d be creating a bidding war for a player who currently appears unlikely to reach world-class levels.
Rashford is not the only player Man United need to consider moving on. The club would be better off without Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, and that’s just for starters, there are many more who need to be moved on.
But Rashford is the most saleable of the club’s players, and seemingly the easiest one to shift. This is an open goal for Man United.
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