Ruben Amorim isn’t one to suffer fools. Having only assumed his functions as Manchester United manager on November 11, the Portuguese former Sporting Lisbon manager is already stamping his authority all over a squad that badly requires it, not hesitating to demand more from his players and subsequently ostracise those who don’t meet his expectations. Marcus Rashford, the wantaway Manchester United winger once again absent from the squad in the most recent dismal defeat (2-0 vs Wolves on Boxing Day), is a key figure in Amorim’s crackdown on the lack of standards at his new club.
Marcus Rashford: The Manchester United Winger Whose Time Has Run Out
A Potential Exit for Marcus Rashford
A fixture of the club since joining the Academy at just seven years old and bursting onto the scene in a memorable breakout 2015/2016 season under Louis van Gaal, Rashford has too often flattered to deceive in a shirt that clearly weighs heavily on him.
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Productive seasons, like the 2022/2023 campaign under Erik ten Hag which saw the Red Devils finish third and Rashford contribute 30 goals and nine assists in 56 games in all competitions, have been followed by seasons blighted by injuries, loss of form and disciplinary issues. This prolonged inconsistency has seen the Manchester United fans, and the club itself, begin to wonder if all parties wouldn’t be best served by the Wythenshawe native seeking a new challenge elsewhere.
“I think personally I am ready for a new challenge and the next steps. When I leave, it’s going to be “No hard feelings”. If I know a situation is already bad, I’m not going to make it worse.”
Rashford was clear and unequivocal in his recent interview with former Telegraph Journalist Henry Winter. He, like the Manchester United fans and, it seems, the club and its manager themselves, realise that the end of his career at Old Trafford is nigh. The questions that need to be asked now are: how did it come to this, and where could Rashford go?
Parties, Injuries, Loss of Form
The writing could well have been on the wall for Rashford’s United career as early as last season. After a 3-0 Manchester Derby humiliation at the hands of rivals Manchester City last October, United’s number ten indulged in a party to celebrate his 26th birthday at a Manchester nightclub, drawing the ire of then-manager Ten Hag who branded his actions as “Unacceptable”. This transgression was not the winger’s first, having been reprimanded the previous season for oversleeping and being late to a team meeting.
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To add further fuel to the fire, worse was to come in January 2024, with Rashford calling in sick to training following two midweek nights in Belfast where he was spotted partying, the latest in several instances where his professionalism could conceivably be brought into question.
Injuries have also played a part in Rashford’s stagnation, with the winger often playing through the pain barrier and spending long periods of time way below his optimum fitness levels. He’s missed 29 games over the past three seasons and thus failed to attain the consistency in his form that he has sporadically shown since his memorable honeymoon period of form almost a decade ago.
What Next for The Wantaway Winger?
On first glance, it’s difficult to assess a potential destination for Rashford. Serial Ligue 1 Champions and perennial Champions League underachievers Paris Saint-Germain will once again be interested as they look for a long-term replacement for the departed Kylian Mbappé, whilst overtures from Saudi Arabia will be inevitable for a player whose options in Europe would appear to be quite limited.
Could Arsenal take a chance? Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli seems inadequate for a club of the Gunners’ ambitions, a prolonged loss in form making him the most replaceable asset in Mikel Arteta’s front line. As a Premier League proven player, Rashford could potentially be an exciting fit and would tread a path already trodden by another Mancunian former United player in Danny Welbeck.
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Wherever Rashford may end up, it’s clear that a fresh start is in the interest of all parties. The “unbelievable” Manchester United academy product mentioned in his interview with Winter that he “Will always be a red” and it’s clear that match-going United fans will lament the loss of a player that has been associated with the club since his 7th birthday, as well as a man that has done a lot of charity work for his community and the country as a whole. Whether they will miss the winger, or indeed whether his departure will come back to haunt United in the future, are questions that will be answered in due course.
