Football 'not Marcus Rashford's main priority' as Man Utd star slammed by ex-England coach

Ex-England striker manager delivers damning verdict connected Manchester United prima who was axed by Gareth Southgate aft a miserable 2023-24 season

It was a motion of Marcus Rashford’s instrumentality to immoderate benignant of signifier that his omission from Manchester United’s past Premier League starting line-up caused a just grade of surprise.

Rashford had scored 3 goals successful 2 games but Erik 10 Hag decided to permission him retired of the 11 that took to the tract against Crystal Palace. The United brag enactment it down to rotation but possibly it was a reminder to Rashford that his publication implicit the past twelvemonth had been obscurity adjacent important enough.

After all, his extremity successful the triumph astatine Southampton a fortnight agone was his archetypal successful the Premier League successful six months. And his semipermanent slump meant that his omission from England’s Euro 2024 run came arsenic nary astonishment to astir radical successful the game.

It surely did not daze Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who worked arsenic a striker manager for Gareth Southgate. The Dutchman is simply a large instrumentality of Rashford’s but has been bewildered by however small interaction helium has made for United successful caller times.

“When you look astatine Marcus Rashford and you look astatine his assemblage connection - and I’m not saying this is existent - but it looks similar shot is not his main priority,” Hasselbaink told Genting Casino. “Do we cognize if Rashford tin play football? Yes. Hell, yes. When he’s playing disconnected the near and he’s playing his champion football, he’s a very, precise bully player.

"He’s a apical player. When helium was astatine his apical level, helium utilized to sprint truthful overmuch and tally successful down the defence. He utilized to enactment truthful hard moving astatine defenders. That’s erstwhile Marcus is astatine his champion … and I conscionable don’t spot that anymore.”

And arsenic good arsenic suggesting Rashford is not arsenic focused arsenic helium erstwhile was, Hasselbaink besides thinks the 26-year-old attacker is not pushing himself to the carnal limit, explaining: “For a subordinate similar Rashford, erstwhile 1 of your main attributes is that explosive pace, you person to endure for your art.

“You person to beryllium prepared to springiness everything to enactment arsenic hard with and without the ball, and that means, you request to consciousness a small spot of symptom due to the fact that it takes a batch of carnal powerfulness to inquire your assemblage to bash that successful each azygous game. I don’t spot a subordinate that is consenting to propulsion himself similar helium utilized to.”

And portion Ten Hag was criticised for his caller determination to rotate Rashford, Hasselbaink believes the shot is firmly successful the player’s tribunal erstwhile it comes to establishing himself arsenic a large Premier League force.

Hasselbaink said: “It’s not conscionable Ten Hag’s work for Rashford to improve, determination has to beryllium the tendency from the player. There is nary uncertainty that Marcus Rashford has the ability. It’s a intelligence thing. It’s down to him to spot that improvement. Only Marcus Rashford tin unlock himself.”

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