So, what is wrong with Rashford?
++ Toxic dressing room dragging him down ++ Suggestions charity work is distraction ++ In bed for days after Euros and sought psychological help ++ Now facing a major dilemma over his future at Old Trafford
WITH a career at his boyhood club Manchester United, a salary of £200,000 a week, a lucrative sponsorship deal with Nike and an MBE at 24, Marcus Rashford has every reason to be cheerful.
So, what’s eating him? Why does one of the most popular and talked-about young men in the UK look like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders?
When he was substituted towards the end of United’s FA Cup win over Aston Villa on Monday, he took his seat in the dugout and wore the thousandyard stare of someone utterly lost.
It wasn’t an isolated incident, even though a section of the crowd had turned on him moments earlier when he didn’t try to reach a loose ball after Emiliano Martinez had saved from Mason Greenwood.
Rashford’s demeanour on the pitch and at training has been a concern at United for some time.
‘A lot of times this season, it looks as if everything is a chore,’ said Alan Shearer of the forward after the Villa game. ‘There’s no spark, it’s very flat.’
Dion Dublin told BBC5 Live: ‘He looks disheartened. I haven’t seen him smile in a long time.’
Rashford tried to address the issue on social media over the weekend. ‘I’m not sulking, I’m not unhappy,’ he wrote. ‘Am I disappointed in some of my recent performances? Of course I am. I’m my own biggest critic. It’s been a tough start but I’m determined to prove my worth. My dedication and my desire to be here should never be in question.’
Trouble is, questions will continue to be asked. Inevitably, there have been suggestions his charity work in feeding millions of under-privileged children during the pandemic — earning him the MBE and a doctorate from the University of Manchester — has become a distraction.
That is refuted by sources close to the player, who insist a dedicated team takes care of that side of his affairs (led by brothers Dwaine and Dane) leaving him free to focus on football.
They say he is committed to United and desperate to feel valued by interim boss Ralf Rangnick and fans.
There is probably no better starting point for his malaise than the Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy in July. Brought on in the final moments of extra-time for the specific purpose of taking a penalty, he was one of three England players who missed in the shoot-out.
Amid the depressing backlash that followed, it was heartening to see the abuse scrawled on a Rashford mural close to his boyhood home obscured by messages of love and support, but this can’t be portrayed as a positive episode in his career. Rashford has not played for his country since.
He is understood to have stayed in bed for days after the game and sought the help of a sports psychologist. Physically, he was still struggling with a muscle tear in his shoulder that hindered him the previous season.
He went ahead with surgery in August and returned to action in mid-October but discovered a dressing room that had turned toxic and a manager on the way out. Rashford scored in three of his first four games back, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was gone a month later. He hasn’t scored in 11 games since and has contributed just one assist this season.
There is a feeling his ability and willingness to play in a number of positions has worked against him under four managers.
He is best suited to playing on the left but has operated through the middle and on the right at times. Under Rangnick, he has briefly played wing-back, too.
Failure to hold down one role has affected form and confidence at times. Louis van Gaal and Jose
Mourinho are not managers who tend to put an arm around the shoulder. Solskjaer is, but when Rashford spoke with him last year, it’s said he was told to stop moaning. Those who know Rashford describe an essentially shy boy who wears his heart on his sleeve. They say selfdoubt can be mistaken for attitude. Ex-England manager Steve McClaren said yesterday: ‘United players have been criticised in the last few weeks with people saying: ‘‘I hate that attitude in a player’’ — but Rashford has had this problem throughout his career in terms of his attitude being questioned.’
The fact that a Manchester lad like Rashford is now approaching talks over a new contract at United feeling unsure about his future is a worrying sign of his unhappiness — and the state of the club in general.
He has 18 months left on his contract — although United have the option to extend it by another year — and negotiations are expected to begin before the end of the season.
Rashford would prefer to stay, but his next contract will cover the peak years of his career and he must decide whether to remain loyal or pursue a fresh challenge.
United’s choice of manager could also be a factor. Rangnick is set to step down at the end of the season, and Rashford could benefit from a man-manager such as Mauricio Pochettino. Let’s hope something happens to put a smile back on his face.