Rash makes me want to SCREAM
Marcus so maddening
ERIK TEN HAG should make his Manchester United stars sit though a video nasty of their derby defeat to City at the Etihad.
And what he should also do is make Marcus Rashford take a front-row seat.
That’s if he’s not too busy writing another chapter of his life story.
In the build-up to one of the most explosive games in world football, Rashford penned more than 2,000 words about himself entitled, “Who I Really Am”.
But we didn’t – or don’t – need to hear such laments, because we got to see for ourselves who Rashford really is during United’s chastising 3-1 defeat to neighbours so superior it is utterly embarrassing.
We saw Rashford star in a film that was the footballing version of ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’.
A blistering goal any of the true greats would be proud of.
A couple of glorious chances wasted, including an air shot, which had they been taken, would have put United in command.
And a fall to the ground under the slightest of touches that was capable of earning Rashford an Oscar, and a booking for diving!
Watching all of this unfold was England manager Gareth Southgate, who must have left the stadium not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Southgate will have marvelled at the performance of Phil Foden, but shaken his head at the one Rashford produced.
In fact, Rashford could do worse than watch what Foden contributed to the game, because he might learn something.
In the final moments of the game, with City winning 3-1, Foden ran back more than 50 metres to dispossess Antony.
By the time this happened, Rashford was looking on from the bench with a face like a slapped backside, having been taken off.
It wasn’t too long ago that Foden was looking up to someone like Rashford.
Now he’s looking down on him, having banked countless trophies at the ripe old age of 23, while being miles ahead of Rashford in the international pecking order with England.
Foden will start England’s opening game of the Euros, while Rashford will be fortunate to have even made it to Germany.
When it comes to work rate, finishing, application, attitude and leadership, Foden is now the example Rashford has to follow.
And Rashford is three years his senior, so he shouldn’t be sat in the dressing room thinking he’s done his bit, or dining out on his stunning goal.
It proved nothing. United don’t need the occasional worldie from him, or a moment of genius to punctuate all the mediocrity.
They need the sort of consistency of performance Pep Guardiola is getting from Foden.
It’s the least United can expect from someone getting paid the thick end of £300,000-a-week.
But once again Rashford’s commitment looked questionable.
A scenario made even worse when compared to the shift Foden put in.
The derby told us a lot of things, including the fact that if Ten Hag thinks United played well, then he’s actually deluded.
But perhaps the most startling lesson of all to emerge from the occasion is that, while local lads Rashford and Foden still have some things in common, these two are now operating at very different levels of the footballing spectrum.