'Not world-class' - Marcus Rashford told it's time to leave 'goldfish bowl' of Man Utd to reignite his career
WHAT HAPPENED?
Rashford has all but lost his place as a starter in Gareth Southgate's plans for England at Euro 2024 and Jordan believes that the forward has to leave the Red Devils this summer if he doesn't want his career to stagnate even further than it already has.
WHAT JORDAN SAID
Writing for Daily Mail, the talkSort pundit said: "He came off the bench for 15 minutes against Brazil and didn’t get on against Belgium. He’s not been a central figure for some time and his career appears to be going backwards. He’s become an impact substitute, someone who can come on for the last 20 minutes when the game is stretched. He might not like it but that’s where he is at the moment.
"I do, however, find a lot of what has been said about Rashford unfair. He’s not a world-class player so I always felt that judging him by those standards put him in a position where he’s always going to fall short. What he needs to do is apply himself, look like he’s interested, engaged and motivated again otherwise he may never reach the levels we saw from him at the beginning of his career.
"For whatever reason, whether it’s the life that he leads or the way he views the world, the pressure of playing for United or having too much money and too many distractions, I don’t see a player who has evolved," he continued.
"The best we saw of him was at the start of his career and a brief rally last season. It’s certainly hard to argue he has become a better player in the last five years. I think he’s got worse, I don’t see any area of his game that has developed. Normally when you get older and move into your prime in sport, and in life, you get better or you find your level. I would suggest he’s found his level.
"For a man who protests to love Manchester United so much it’s a difficult situation but I think it’s perhaps time for him to move on. He’s run his course at Old Trafford and could flourish again at a new club," he explained.
"There has been endless links to Paris Saint-Germain which could be an option if it’s a move he’d be interested in. He won’t go short of a bob or two in France, he’ll win league titles, play in the Champions League and be away from the goldfish bowl of United and the British media. That has its benefits. But I don’t see him moving to a top-six rival which speaks volumes about where both he and United currently are, so he’s limited to potential interest from overseas."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Rashford broke onto the world football scene in 2016 having come up through Manchester United's academy. On his debut with the club, he scored a brace in the Europa League and followed it up with a winner on his Premier League debut against Arsenal three days later. He also scored in his first Manchester derby, as well as on his Carabao Cup and Champions League debuts. However, Rashford's career has seen multiple ups and downs due to inconsistency in form.
WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?
The 26-year-old will now work hard until the end of the club season with Manchester United as he hopes to regain his lost form before he joins Southgate's England side for the European Championship in Germany.
