Sport
What next for Marcus Rashford ?
Marcus Rashford’s career has followed a well-trodden path in English football. He emerged as a teenager at Manchester United in 2016, exploding into life under Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford. It wasn’t long until he made his England debut and went to that summer’s European Championships as the exciting new hope of a nation.
Since then, aged 27, he hasn’t fulfilled his potential. Like with Wayne Rooney, Paul Gascoigne and others before him, he struggled with the expectation of carrying a nation. Unlike the others, though, Rashford has seen a wave of players emerge to steal his thunder. As good as he’s been at times in his career, it is hard to say he has matched the early promise he showed. But back then, he was fearless; there was no pressure. As that develops, it becomes harder to keep doing enough to continue moving forward.
Manchester United’s issues as a club haven’t helped Rashford either. They are no longer the force of old, far from guaranteed even a top half finish in the Premier League, let alone a tilt at the title. The issues run deep and from the top, but player motivation has long been in question and that is where Rashford has struggled to garner much sympathy from Manchester United fans and the wider football community. He earned masses of credit for his political activism around child poverty during the COVID pandemic, but some told him to focus on football.
Consistency has always been a problem for Rashford, but disciplinary issues became more common over recent years. It has been easy for a narrative to build against him, even if he hasn’t done enough to fight against it on the pitch. Between 2018 and 2021, Rashford scored double figures in the Premier League for the Red Devils; in the four years since, he has managed that only once, albeit in a season which saw him score 29 goals in all competitions. But it was his work rate, or perceived lack of, which ultimately cost him his future at his boyhood club. Ruben Amorim was not the only manager to have misgivings, but he drew the line.
Rashford signed a new contract during his best form of 2023, earning him over £300,000-per-week. It is rare, though becoming more common, that players on that sort of money are unwanted by the club that pays them, but it has left Rashford somewhat stranded since Amorim cut him off. Everybody in the world can see how good he is, plenty would be willing to take a punt on giving him a platform to regain his best form. But the astronomical – some would say unsustainable – rise in wages has resulted in swaithes of clubs no longer being viable options. Only select few clubs can afford Rashford, and most of them are looking to the future.
In that scenario, players are forced to look for marriages of convenience. In January, despite making it clear he wanted to join Barcelona, Rashford signed on loan at an Aston Villa side harbouring ambitions of both progression in the Champions League and secure qualification again for this season. There was a £40m option to buy in the deal, but after going out to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals and finishing sixth in the Premier League, it was mutually agreed to go separate ways. Rashford contributed with fleeting examples of his brilliance and four goals in 14 games, but his time at Villa Park also included hallmarks of his career; frustration, injury and difficulty.
He returned to Manchester United, having lost the number 10 shirt to Matheus Cunha, again in need of a home and again making eyes towards Barcelona. Only this time, he may get his wish. After missing out on long-term target Nico Williams, the Blaugrana are turning their attention to a deal for Rashford.
Perhaps it would have made sense a couple of years ago when the Catalans, who have had well documented financial troubles since 2021, were desperate to sign anybody of note to stay relevant. But in Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Pau Cubarsi and Gavi, they have the spine of an incredible youth production line that can lead them to more success. Offering Rashford a chance to finally find consistency seems a high risk strategy given the cost.
Rashford has been and can be a wonderful player. But if he were to move to Barcelona, there is little doubt he’d have fallen on his feet at a difficult spell in his career.
