The ups and downs as Marcus Rashford looks like reaching end of line at Man Utd
Marcus Rashford’s future as a Manchester United player appears in doubt after he said he was “ready for a new challenge”, two days on from being left out of the squad for the Derby at Manchester City.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the ups and downs of how things have gone for the 27-year-old England forward over the past three seasons.
2022-23
United academy product Rashford, who made his senior debut in 2015-16, enjoyed his most prolific season to date, netting 30 goals for the Red Devils in all competitions in what was their first campaign under the management of Erik ten Hag.
That included 17 goals in the Premier League, helping the team finish third, while United also won the League Cup and were FA Cup runners-up. In the summer that followed he signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford running to 2028.
2023-24
It's time to come off Socials for a few weeks. I plan to rest and reset mentally after a challenging season individually and collectively. Thanks to the fans that stood by me through a difficult period. To the ones that didn’t just remember at United, we always stick together. 🙏🏾
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) May 27, 2024
United’s form dropped off significantly – although they won the FA Cup, they finished eighth in the league and made a group-stage exit in the Champions League – and so did Rashford’s, with him scoring only eight times across the season.
There were also questions over the player’s off-field behaviour. Ten Hag said it was “unacceptable” for Rashford to have gone to a nightclub party following a 3-0 home defeat to City in October of the campaign, adding that the player had apologised.
Then in January United said there had been an internal disciplinary, with Rashford having “taken responsibility for his actions”, after he was left out of an FA Cup tie having reportedly had a late night at a Belfast nightclub and then failed to train due to illness.
2024-25
This term Rashford – who was not included in the England squad for Euro 2024 – has scored seven goals so far for United, including the first under new boss Ruben Amorim, appointed after Ten Hag’s dismissal in November with the club lying 14th in the table.
But his decision-making was questioned by former United defender Gary Neville with regard to a trip to the United States during the international break.
And Rashford was then absent, along with Alejandro Garnacho, when United won 2-1 at City on Sunday, with Amorim saying afterwards that while it was “not a disciplinary thing”, what was “important is the performance in training, the performance in game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with team-mates and push team-mates”.
Rashford subsequently said in an interview with journalist Henry Winter on X that he was “ready for a new challenge and the next steps”, with Amorim having since expressed his desire for him to stay.