Manchester United crashed to a defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday, with Marcus Rashford coming into the eye of the storm.
Manchester United have made a mediocre start to the Premier League campaign, and a club of their stature is expected to perform at a higher level. Marcus Rashford, in particular, has been sub-par, with Jamie Carragher criticising his performances.
The Red Devils showed signs of improvement under Erik ten Hag last season and secured Champions League qualification. They were expected to challenge for the league title this season, but things have not gone according to plan. They are now struggling to enter the top four, and it remains to be seen whether they can turn things around.
Liverpool legend and popular pundit Jamie Carragher has slammed Marcus Rashford. The 26-year-old has looked like a shadow of his former self this season, and his performances have been rather underwhelming. He has been criticised heavily for his performance against Newcastle as well.
The England international produced a lacklustre display against the Magpies, and his body language was also concerning. The England international did not put in the required effort, and Carragher believes that as a key player of the club he needs to step up in these moments and bail his side out.
“Watching Marcus Rashford last night, that was an unacceptable performance for a few reasons,” Carragher said (h/t talkSPORT) before adding, “It’s not ‘pick on Rashford’. I don’t think anyone comes out with any credit. But that lad didn’t play midweek [against Galatasaray], so if there’s any little mitigating circumstance of a player not being 100 per cent, it’s playing Wednesday night and then Saturday.”
“I’ve been a local player and it’s not easy being a local player, especially when your team isn’t doing well. Normally for Gary [Neville], Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, they were doing well. But for Marcus Rashford and myself and Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, when it’s not going well, it’s YOUR job to fix it. You have got to drag other people with you.”
“Because I’m watching Marcus Rashford now and he reminds me of Martial. And that’s the worst thing you can probably say about him – a foreign player who comes in, hasn’t done the business, doesn’t care really. That’s a fact with Martial. Marcus Rashford is now looking like Anthony Martial and as a local player, it’s your job to drag those other players up.”
“And if your confidence is down, and you’re not scoring goals or getting assists, not a problem. You do not stop running for that badge and that shirt and your supporters because you’re supposedly one of them. And what he did last night was nowhere near acceptable.”
There is no doubt that Rashford is one of the best attackers in the Premier League, and he was outstanding for Manchester United last season. He scored goals consistently, and he was instrumental in their top-four finish. It remains to be seen whether the England international attacker can get back to his best in the coming weeks and help his side finish the season strongly.
Manchester United spent a substantial amount of money on Rasmus Hojlund during the summer transfer window, but the young attacker has not been able to hit top form yet. Rashford will have to shoulder the goalscoring responsibility for now and help Manchester United get over the line in the tight games.
