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4 months ago
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The ax fell around 3 p.m. Tuesday, when Gareth Southgate revealed the call-up of 33 players available for the Euro. Surprise, despite the expansion of this pre-list, no trace of Marcus Rashford. Regularly called up for failing to be a full starter since his arrival in the national team in 2016, the striker will not play a third time in this continental competition. This announcement was not expected by observers in England but it is far from illogical as the Mancunian has been at the bottom of the wave for many months.
Moreover, it was the density of competition that tipped the scales. “Other players in this area of the field have had better seasons”, scathed Gareth Southgate at a press conference. At 26, Rashford is preparing to watch a Euro or World Cup for the first time from his sofa. It’s a real setback for someone who still has 60 caps with the Three Lions for 17 goals. “I wish Gareth and the guys all the best for the upcoming tournament” he reacted on Instagram.
An extension expected last summer
It is in reality the logical consequence of his sporting decrepitude. While he was still adored a few months ago at Old Trafford, something seems to have broken with him. There was nothing to worry about before this season, however. The striker was coming off a season with 30 goals and 10 assists in 56 games in all competitions. The icing on the cake, he extended his contract last summer until 2028, denying rumors sending him to PSG in the summer of 2024, when his initial lease expired.
Rising salary and player of the season trophy in his pocket, expectations were inevitably rising. However, he started out in the worst possible way, experiencing many setbacks in his private life. First there was this car accident in September. No doubt he was shaken by this story but that’s not all. There were reports in England of an increasingly restless nightlife. The day after a heavy 3-0 defeat in the Manchester derby, he was seen in a nightclub until very late to celebrate his birthday.
Car accident, brother’s arrest and nightclub outings
Obviously, it looks bad, especially with the supporters, and also with his coach. The sanction is immediate. Erik ten Hag did without him to face Fulham. A week later, we learned that the brother and agent of the Mancunian star, Dane Rashford, was charged in the United States for domestic violence. Even if he is not directly involved, his name returns despite himself to the front pages of all the tabloids which are having a field day. The relationship has always been complicated between the press and Marcus Rashford.
Committed to many social issues, racism and food insecurity in particular (he himself was a victim in his youth), the Englishman does not have his tongue in his pocket. His actions even brought down Boris Johnson’s British government in 2020, which had finally extended aid for children from poor families. A hero for some, Rashford had also seen his image damaged by other media, which gave him a divisive personality. From now on, he is judged by his slightest actions.
Manchester United and Ten Hag have had enough
On the ground, it is Erik ten Hag who appreciates his dilettantism less and less. The relationship between the two men becomes polar. He only scored 2 goals in the Premier League in the first part of the season and MU was eliminated from all European competitions. Observers are also increasingly critical of him. The unease took on a new dimension at the end of January, after a new night trip by the player to Belfast in Northern Ireland. He did not participate in the following FA Cup match, officially “sick”.
Rashford was especially unfit to train and play. He still receives a fine equivalent to two weeks’ salary, or around 760,000 euros. “The disciplinary matter is internal to the club,” said Ten Hag. In selection also his place is compromised, as Southgate implied during the winter. “We observe everything that happens on and off the field.” During the last meeting in March, he played 15 minutes against Brazil, none against Belgium. A meager playing time as a warning.
One last match with MU in the Cup final?
In England, there are serious concerns about his mental state. Despite a few goals here and there (8 in total this season for 42 matches), the Red Devil is gradually losing its place. He gets more and more annoyed on the pitch. At Old Trafford, he even wanted to fight with a supporter who made fun of him during the warm-up against Newcastle on May 15. Under these conditions, a question arises. What future for him? His exorbitant salary is very expensive and he does not meet expectations. Worse still, he deteriorates his image and that of his club.
Unimaginable just a few weeks ago, MU opened the door to a departure this summer. Once again, PSG is cited. The English press sees him as the successor to Kylian Mbappé within the Parisian club. Whatever its destination, leaving Manchester is perhaps the solution to getting back on track. At 26, he still has time to regain his level of performance and the selection. The transfer window will deliver its verdict and it is not impossible to see Rashford wear the jersey of his training club one last time during the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
