Following on from Manchester United’s 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, Paul Parker was eager to share his views on Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. The forward has endured a slow start to the season and Parker has been far from impressed with his effort thus far.
Is Marcus Rashford Finally Being Found Out?
Last season was Marcus Rashford’s best goal return. It came in a season where Erik ten Hag steered United to Carabao Cup glory and a finish in the top four. A top four finish which meant Champions League football would be returning to Old Trafford.
Firstly, United were tasked with navigating a tough return to Europe’s elite football competition. They travelled to the Allianz Arena to take on Bayern Munich. Despite a valiant late effort, the Red Devils ran out 4-3 losers and Parker was particularly critical of one Manchester United player.
“I was criticising Rashford when he scored goals because I wanted him to provide more for the team. Now, he is not scoring goals anymore and his decision making is still poor.
“Everyone was saying that he was winning Man United games but the only thing they could come up with is that he was scoring goals.
“It has taken people a while but now they are finally seeing that he is not contributing with anything. He should be because he is a fast winger with decent technical abilities, but in fact he is just a selfish player who lives on the back of being good in February.
“I think that Man United rushed in too quickly to give him this huge contract. Overall he has been delivering a poor return throughout his Man United career. That’s a fact.”
Does Rashford Need A Change In Attitude?
As an academy graduate of the club, Rashford has been celebrated as Mr. Manchester United, with the club deeply ingrained in his identity. In July of this year, Rashford signed a new deal to remain at Manchester United until 2028, a contract worth £325,000 per week.
This agreement solidified his position as one of the club’s top earners, bringing with it substantial pressure and lofty expectations. Parker expresses that he would like nothing more than for Rashford to prove him wrong and suggests that a change in attitude and approach to his game could help him elevate his performance, beginning with putting in more effort off the ball.
“He was mentioned with some of the biggest clubs in the world. Real Madrid and PSG were interested, but were they really interested in him? I don’t think so. I think it was the media pushing it.
“I would love to see Rashford proving me wrong, and I will happily eat a humble pie but I just don’t see it happening. I think the fans are tired of seeing him faking an injury all the times he gets tackled. They want to see him get up, chase back and get the ball back.
“What he is doing is something you would expect to see in a schoolyard from a petulant child. You wouldn’t expect it to happen at Old Trafford. Not in a million years.
“But he does that every single time and it shows me that he might not be a player for Man United after all.
“He needs to change his game and his attitude. All the great centre forwards like the Yorke’s, Van Nistelrooy, Hughes, Cole they all worked hard when they didn’t have the ball. That’s the reason why they were respected and why Rashford is not at this moment in time.”
Rashford is priced at 40/1 on BetVictor to finish as the top goalscorer in the Premier League for the 2023/24 season. Be sure to use the BetVictor promo code when signing up to this operator, as they have a great sign-up offer, which makes them one of the most popular betting sites in the business.
Rashford Has Never Given The Number Nine Role A Chance
Parker’s rant doesn’t end here. He continues to argue that Rashford shouldn’t be an England international, asserting that the only reason he can’t play as a number nine is that he’s never given it his best effort. Rashford has openly stated in the past his preference for playing as a wide forward rather than as a nine but has been asked to play there throughout his career.
“Rashford is an England international. Should he be that? No, but that’s what he is so he is a key player for this club, which creates high expectations from the fans. They want to see more from him.
“Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe played on the right wing when I played at the club. They were 100 times better than Rashford. Did they score as many goals in one season as Rashford? No, but did they produce more than Rashford? Yes, they created chances, made the runs and they were not selfish at all.
“Rashford has openly admitted that he can’t play in the middle. That’s why he can only play at the wing but in my opinion he never gave it a shot. He was given the opportunity to be a real striker and he didn’t grab it.”
Rashford and his Manchester United team-mates are set to return to action this weekend, when they take on struggling Burnley at Turf Moor. For the best football betting sites, head over to our dedicated page, which has you covered with everything you need to know.
