Marcus Rashford is stalling talks over a new deal with Manchester United, and will make a decision on his Red Devils future at the end of the season, as per reports.
The Times have reported that Marcus Rashford is stalling on signing a new contract with Manchester United and will consider his position at Old Trafford at the end of the season. There are concerns among the club hierarchy that he may want to leave in the summer, but Rashford has no wishes to move on.
The report, instead, states that Rashford is becoming frustrated at the lack of opportunities coming his way and is growing concerned over getting an extended run in the first team under Jose Mourinho. As a result, the teenager feels that his game has gone backwards this season.
Indeed, Rashford has struggled to match up to the highs of the 2015/16 season in the current campaign as he hasn’t been able to nail down a regular spot for himself in the first team. This is in big contrast to last season, when Rashford broke into the Manchester United first team setup in some style.
He was promoted straight from the under-18 side by then-manager Louis van Gaal and he soon became a regular for the Dutchman, scoring 8 goals in the final three months before continuing his meteoric rise to be included in England’s squad for the Euros 2016.
However, 2016/17 hasn’t been quite as successful for Rashford, with Mourinho favouring the much more experienced Zlatan Ibrahimovic to lead the Manchester United attack. As a result, the 19-year-old prodigy has been forced to compete for a spot on the wing with the likes of Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard.
Rashford has only managed to play the full 90 minutes of a Premier League match five times thus far, and has only started twice in Manchester United’s last 12 top flight fixtures. Surely enough, the numbers have taken a tumble too, with Rashford finding the back of the net just three times in the league this season.
Rashford is growing concerned about his place in the first team and will assess his position at the club at the end of the season, according to the report. And while he does not intend to leave Manchester United, he may be forced to consider his options if first team minutes don’t come his way.
Jose Mourinho, though, has regularly maintained that he rates Rashford very highly and that he remains a part of his long-term plans at Manchester United. And, the Portuguese will do everything he can to ensure that Rashford doesn’t move away and signs a new deal with the Red Devils soon.
Manchester United have already rejected overtures from West Ham United and Sevilla, and there’s little doubt that the club would want to hold on to their prized asset. Mourinho, possibly, sees Rashford as the long-term prospect in attack as well. It now remains to be seen what decision Rashford comes to at the end of the season.
