One of the most fascinating sagas of the just-concluded January transfer window was Marcus Rashford’s loan move from Manchester United to Aston Villa. The forward, who had been widely rated as one of the best players to emerge out of the Manchester United Academy, seemed to have become stagnant of late.
Why new head coach Ruben Amorim treated Rashford the way he did shall never become clear apart from the former’s constant complaints that the latter did not show intensity in training, but scores of United fans will be left disappointed by the way their perceived hero was treated.
Marcus Rashford — Villa’s new no.9 👊 pic.twitter.com/vSjLJUGiY4
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 3, 2025
This is because Rashford was seen not just as a footballer at United, but as someone who tried to make a change in society with his philanthropic activities as well. Along with his footballing honours, Rashford was awarded the MBE by the British government for working towards ending food poverty.
During the COVID-19-induced lockdown, Rashford teamed up with several charities to work towards providing food to those who were homeless, and as a result, he was appreciated and accorded with the status of a legend by Manchester United’s supporters.
A fresh start for Marcus Rashford 🦁 pic.twitter.com/cM3OpDyXdA
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 2, 2025
On the field, too, Rashford was United’s best player over the years, and impressed ever since he made his top-flight debut against Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League and Arsenal in the Premier League. Operating on the left wing, the 27-year-old was seen as a future superstar for the Red Devils.
Rashford’s Form has been Poor Since the 2023-24 Season
The Englishman’s form fell drastically in the ongoing Premier League season, and contributed largely to United’s poor performance. At the moment, the Red Devils are ranked in the 13th position of the table with just 29 points to their name, and Rashford may have had something to do with it.
Although former manager Erik Ten Hag rated him highly, current coach Amorim axed him almost as soon as he arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting in November 2024. He was given six games by the Portuguese coach to prove his worth but was shown the door soon afterwards.
Marcus Rashford working hard in Aston Villa training. 🦁💪 pic.twitter.com/6SunkdN24K
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) February 4, 2025
The last appearance Rashford made for United was against Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League in December 2024, a game that the ManU won but in which he could not personally play a big role. In the 15 matches he has played so far this season, Rashford scored four goals and bagged just one assist.
These returns are far too lowly for someone so highly rated, and a section of the club’s supporters might even applaud Amorim for taking the bold call to axe Rashford. Although Rashford scored in Amorim’s first game in charge, against Ipswich Town, and even netted a brace against Everton later, he could not change the coach’s mind.
Rashford had all the Makings to be a Manchester United Legend
It can be argued that the superstar culture may have got inside Rashford’s head, and compelled him to not give his best in training. This may have also allowed him to take his feet off the pedal for a bit to enjoy the view, but this is a luxury that even the best in the world cannot afford to do in the hectic world of modern-day football.
In total, Rashford has scored seven goals across all competitions this season in 24 matches, and this is painful to look at. For someone who was supposed to take the lead in United’s revival in English and European football, such returns are unexpected.
Marcus Rashford closes his chapter at Manchester United.
But what a journey it was 🔴🥺 pic.twitter.com/Gy6PmtPBOJ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 2, 2025
What’s more, in 2023-24, Rashford’s returns were even worse, netting just eight times in 43 matches across all competitions. That this came on the back of a 30-goal season in 2022-23 was worrying, but somehow, no one had the answer to the rut that had set in already. In 2021-22, his returns were even worse – 5 goals in 32 matches.
There is no doubt that Rashford could have become one of the modern-day greats at United had he been more consistent with his goalscoring. However, he would have been granted some leeway by the management had he been more involved in setting up play for his teammates when building from the back.
Marcus Rashford closes his chapter at Manchester United.
But what a journey it was 🔴🥺 pic.twitter.com/Gy6PmtPBOJ
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 2, 2025
However, he failed to impress the management over the years, and it was left to Amorim to do the much-needed job of axing him. Rashford had all the traits to become the next Cristiano Ronaldo for United, but had he worked as hard as the latter, his story would perhaps have been different.
