Time to read Rashford the riot act and put him on notice
I HAVE always felt Marcus Rashford did not warrant being put on a pedestal. So many superlatives have been thrown at him but he has never been world class. We build players up into superstars and expect things from them when they’re just young men.
They have so much expectation on them, and admiration, that they don’t really merit and often don’t have the right people and voices around them. Athough I think some unfair things have been written about Rashford in the past, his behaviour over the weekend was ridiculous and I do think he needs to watch himself, given it’s not the first time he has seen fit to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. After November’s Manchester derby thrashing, he thought Chinawhite nightclub was an appropriate place to be. This time he spent all day drinking until 3am in Northern Ireland, so much so he was unable to even get into the training ground the next day.
This situation doesn’t reflect well on United either. He’s a young man with a lot of money and plays for a club that doesn’t have the right culture.
It’s time to read him the riot act, concentrate his mind in no uncertain terms and put him on notice. He has been indulged and given the benefit of the doubt previously. He has been allowed to walk around with a hangdog look on his face but he needs to get himself together or it could be the beginning of the end. If he were to leave Old Trafford, with all the expectation, adoration and recognition that goes with being a Manchester United player, irrespective of them no longer being top dogs, he is going backwards. He needs to recognise the danger signs now. He’s an asset but he’s also becoming a liability. He is on the cusp of wasting a huge opportunity and if he doesn’t get it together now, he won’t be the one making the choices. Not only will he lose his place with United and England, he could also lose the last few years of what could be a spectacular career, but hasn’t been so far. He’s certainly miles off England. On what parallel universe, besides goodwill and muscle memory, does Gareth Southgate make the case for him? Rashford and those around him need to read the room. He has constantly been told how wonderful he is but the body of work isn’t there. The attention he gets is because he plays for United, not because of his performances and it’s time that changed.
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