Troy Deeney has launched an attack on Marcus Rashford’s form at Manchester United, as rumours he might be nearing a departure ramp up.
The forward became a Red Devils icon after rising up through the youth ranks in 2016 before reaching double figures of league goals in three consecutive seasons and gaining plaudits off the field with his charity work.
While turning out regularly for England, Rashford also scooped up two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League trophy at the club.
The United man has struggled of late, however, scoring just four times in 15 Premier League appearances this season, assisting once, as the Red Devils have slumped into the lower half of the table.
And with the Red Devils looking set for an overhaul to let new boss Ruben Amorim put his stamp on the club, Rashford’s future at Old Trafford is being cast into doubt with reports this week suggesting chiefs would listen to offers of £40milllion.
Former Watford striker Deeney has become the latest to criticise the star and has even told the Sun he believes that the Portuguese manager is already ‘fed up’ with his player.
Troy Deeney has delivered a brutal verdict on Marcus Rashford’s recent form for Man United
The forward was previously a regular in the England setup and a key member of United’s side
Former Watford man Deeney has claimed that new boss Ruben Amorim is ‘fed up’ with him
He said: ‘I have to ask him: “Do you even want to do this? Do you want to play football?” I don’t see a scenario in the next few months, or years, where he flips it on his head and all of a sudden comes good.
‘Rashford looks like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Everything is always everybody else’s fault and his application stinks.’
Deeney expressed regret that the 27-year-old’s career was heading in a negative direction and suggested he is still capable of popping up in big matches and making a difference.
But he claimed that Rashford then gets into an oft repeated cycle, with his form starting to fade as a manager’s tenure goes on.
The former Premier League star accepted that some of the blame must be taken by United as they continue to offer the Englishman new contracts.
‘We saw it on Thursday night, subbed off against Viktoria Plzen and already United boss Ruben Amorim looks fed up with him. Look, I’ve been there. It’s not nice when that is happening.
He added: ‘As a striker you want to be left on to build some momentum, but I was at the Emirates when he came on against Arsenal last week. He was a disgrace. Amorim summed it up best when he joined, telling Rashford he will get full support but it is up to him as a player, a person.
It comes after Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher wrote in the Telegraph that Rashford was not performing to a level which justifies the amount of money he is on and that his return of 11 goals in 48 Premier League matches in the last year and a half was ‘not good enough’.
Pundit Jamie Carragher also criticised the FA Cup winner but Chris Sutton has defended him
United look set for an overhaul as Amorim aims to put his stamp on the club, with a host of comings and goings expected
United face a rush to sell players if they are to provide new boss Ruben Amorim with funds
The former Liverpool defender even went as far as to say that the Red Devils would ‘never win the Premier League or Champions League if he is leading the line’.
Chris Sutton, however, defended the forward on this week’s episode of It’s All Kicking Off, saying: ‘Rashford’s one. You always feel with Marcus Rashford there is something there when he can be committed, when he can be really bothered. He’s the name everyone is saying but I didn’t want to go obvious.
‘He’s versatile isn’t he.’
United are under pressure to sell players to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR), and raise funds for Amorim to strengthen his squad.
Shifting homegrown players counts as 100 per cent profit on the PSR balance sheet, and for some time now the spotlight has fallen on Rashford who has been at the club since the age of seven.
It’s understood the 27-year-old’s asking price would have been as much as £100m when he scored 30 goals in Ten Hag’s first season at United. But Rashford’s loss of form and the contract he signed last year worth a prohibitive £325,000-a-week means that his value has more than halved.
Even then, United are not anticipating any offers for Rashford who has started the last two games on the bench before his start in the Europa League clash with Viktoria Plzen.
Another option would be for the Red Devils to sell either of their two crown jewels -Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho – but that is something the club want to avoid.
United are keen to avoid selling Alejandro Garnacho or Kobbie Mainoo – their crown jewels
Summer signing Leny Yoro is seen as a star of the future and is unlikely to be sold
They managed to seal a comeback victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League
Leny Yoro, bought for £59m from Lille in the summer as a star of the future, is another seen as virtually untouchable at Old Trafford, as is Fernandes.
Otherwise, United would entertain offers for most of their squad at the right price. ‘The reality is that everyone is for sale,’ an insider said on Wednesday night.
United are keen to keep hold of a number of players who have flourished under Amorim such as Amad Diallo, Matthijs de Ligt, Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte.
The club are struggling to comply with PSR rules after posting losses of £300m over the last three years. After spending another £200m on transfers in the summer, they did not budget on having to pay out an additional £21.4m to replace Ten Hag with Amorim.