Mick Brown was a former chief scout at United and he came out with some pretty interesting (and strong) words regarding our current most famous son, Dr Marcus Rashford MBE.
Brown talks about how 'Rashy' is a Manchester lad with "Man United running through his veins" but that his performances have been too up and down.
"There’s no consistency, and it’s that inconsistency which has cost him and cost United this season. I don’t know what his problem is or why he’s struggling", Brown speaking to Football Insider.
He adds that "I’m told he’s got to have an arm around him and he’s got to feel valued, but I don’t agree. Put that to Roy Keane and I know what the answer would be.
“He’s got all the talent in the world, but he never finishes a game. He’s always taken off."
Brown talks about how he has "great belief" in Rashford but given his ability, he doesn't show his qualities often enough. With Ruben Amorim coming in, Brown says that he will assess everything and see the level of Rashford before having to make a decision on him.
The former chief scout feels that if Amorim cannot figure out what Rashford's problem is as to why he's so inconsistent, then the club will look for offers to let him go.
"If it’s something that’s going to keep happening, then chances are they decide he’s got to go, because you can’t afford to carry players just because of who they are."
Quotes via The United Stand.
Final Thoughts
This is absolutely spot on. I think Brown has nailed it.
But he shouldn't be overly praised for his words regarding Rashford because this is something a lot of people have been saying for a long time.
Since the start of last season, Rashford's form had dropped to the levels of the 21/22 campaign in which he was utterly crap considering his exploits of the two COVID-hit seasons.
The same happened last year after his incredible 22/23 campaign, one which saw him rack up 30 goals and 11 assists, his best season ever. This was in Erik ten Hag's first season and with an output like that, it led us all to believe that perhaps we were (finally) getting the Rashford we all expected to see after his amazing debut campaign of 15/16.
That unfortunately hasn't proved to be the case as his form has been truly woeful.
The win over Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final of 22/23 was when I think this bad run properly began. While he was still putting up decent numbers, it was nowhere near as good as what he did before that final nor as consistent.
From the start of that campaign to the triumph at Wembley in February 2023, these are his numbers:
Games - 38
Goals - 25
Assists - 9
After that final until now, his numbers have been quite dire:
Games - 78
Goals - 17
Assists - 11
That is a massive drop even though he's played more than double the games from February 2023 to now. Clearly something happened to him post lifting the Carabao Cup.
But more than just his numbers, it's his overall performances that have been a let down.
We all know that 'Rashy' can take on a couple of players and smash the ball into the top corner. We know that he can hammer home a top free-kick. He added some poacher finishes in that 22/23 season and even scored some headers. He can also create opportunities for his team.
His is a threat going forward.
But if you're not getting the output, then what else you got?
At this point, Rashford has nothing.
His performances have been worse than his output because despite not getting the numbers he wants, he can still put a shift in and work hard to help the team.
That isn't something he does. His work rate is garbage (if he works at all), he barely tracks back, he cannot create things going forward as often as before because some of his basics like controlling the ball, passing and link up play has disappeared, and his attitude just comes off in the wrong manner whenever we watch him perform like this, whether he intends it or not.
One of his best performances of recent times and for a while though, was in the 2-1 win over Brentford this season.
In that game, he got an assist but it was his overall performance that made me give him my man of the match award.
Other than the assist, he worked hard on and off the ball, tracked back and covered well for Dalot who was his full-back, kept things simple but also mixed up his game, went down the line and tried to cross but also took a few shots. He just ticked all the boxes in terms of exactly what I want in a wide player.
That display went a little under the radar but I thought that this is what I want to see from him (or any other wide forward for that matter) as it was just it, you know?
However, that was all he's had to show for this campaign and although he does have 4 goals and 3 assists so far for United this season, that is the bare minimum we should be expecting from a player like him. He needs to be doing more than that.
At 27 and one of the more senior players in the dressing room, we also need him to be a leader and mentor to some of the younger players and new signings. When the going gets tough, we need him to be one of the players who steps up.
But he doesn't. In fact, he disappears at the times when we need him the most.
The fact that he is now playing more out of his preferred left-wing position and having to do a job on the right suggests that he is no longer seen as the best left-wing option as Garnacho appears to have made that spot his own.
Rashford is now being substituted quite a lot and he comes off before any other winger even if he plays on the left. In the win over Leicester this past weekend, the 27-year-old was taken off in the 57th minute by interim Ruud van Nistelrooy. That early a substitution to such a player was eyebrow raising, but correct.
Both Amad and Garnacho are outperforming him as Amad has 2 goals and an assist in his last two while Garnacho has the most goal involvements out of all our players with 6 goals and 4 assists, of which he added another goal with his strike to seal the 3-0 win on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim requires his players to work a lot especially those out wide in his 3-4-3 system. While it is still unclear as to who exactly he will select in his first few lineups, from the performances and profiles of those in our squad, we can get an idea of who has a better chance than others.
Rashford falls into the category of least likely given his underwhelming exploits not just this season but for nigh on 18 months.
It is a shame that it has come down to this. I think if you were to ask a lot of fans their opinions of Rashford in his current form, many (if not all) would share their disappointment at just how poor he's been.
The fact that he has so much quality is Manchester born and bread, supported the club his whole life, came through the academy, and does all the great work off the field as he does, makes this downfall a little harder than most.
This for me is his last straw. At his age and wage, he really needs to be performing as I don't think he's going to have a better opportunity to improve at 27-years-old. We also cannot afford to be having a player on £300k-a-week sitting on our bench. But due to his performances and high wage, I wonder who would actually want him.
What do you think of Rashford and the words of former chief scout Mick Brown? How disappointed are you at his form? And do you think there's a way back for him under Amorim?
Background Image: Marcus Rashford | Image credit: Getty Images via Eurosport