‘What a talent’: Former Red wants to see ‘fantastic’ United star ‘play with freedom’ again

Steve Bruce has expressed his desire to see Marcus Rashford reignite his prolific form again and ‘play with freedom’.

The Manchester United forward is on the back of a turbulent and frustrating season, and while that was also the case for every other player as well as Erik ten Hag, Rashford found himself on the receiving end of unnecessary criticism.

Nobody can dispute the fact that his performance levels weren’t at the level fans were expecting heading into the 2023/2024 campaign. He’d just seen out a career-best season by netting 30 goals for the first time and was subsequently named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year.

When he then found the back of the net just eight times in nine months, Rashford was surprisingly omitted from Gareth Southgate’s Euros squad. Even despite his fluctuating form, his experience and history of performing on the greatest of occasions for England had supporters thinking he was a shoo-in to make the trip to Germany.

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Nevertheless, the 26-year-old wished the Three Lions well and put all his focus on the FA Cup final. During the game, he was a standout performer throughout his 74 minutes and certainly showed Southgate, who was in attendance at Wembley, what he’d be missing out on this summer.

Bruce rallies behind Rashford

Bruce gave his verdict on the tie that saw United crowned FA Cup champions, telling the talkSPORT panel: “We saw again in the FA Cup final what a talent he is. He is a fantastic footballer who played a wonderful pass for the second goal.”

“He has got frightening ability, and he seems a little bit lost at the moment,” the former United skipper said of Rashford. “[He] needs to find that spark again and play with the same energy and enthusiasm which we saw when he broke through – because he was a breath of fresh air a few years ago. He has done a lot for the underprivileged children with free school meals, seeing the Prime Minister.

“He has got a lot to offer, but it looks as if towards the end and towards the middle of the season, he has got a big weight on his shoulders and he needs to get rid of that and play with that freedom again.”