Marcus Rashford is well liked among the majority of football fans, maybe not for his performances on the pitch, but more for his actions off it. It is well documented that he called out the British government during the first lockdown in 2020, emphasising the importance of school lunches for underprivileged children in the country with the closure of schools.
Following this successful campaign, Rashford finished the 19/20 season as Manchester United’s second highest top scorer. He then had a landmark season in 20/21 as the forward recorded 36 goal involvements, his highest return so far in his career as well as finishing as Manchester United’s second highest top scorer again. Towards the back end of the season, it became well known that he was carrying a couple of injuries that were preventing him from playing at the highest level. Rashford stated himself that he wanted to play through the pain barrier as Manchester United were in with a chance to win the Europa League, followed by England’s participation in the European Championships in the summer.
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Both United and England reached their respective finals and lost, with Rashford missing a key chance in the Europa League final and a penalty in the Euros Final penalty shootout. His decision showed his commitment to his club and country but ultimately, his labours did not bear any fruit. Following the Euros, Rashford sought to get shoulder surgery in an attempt to start rehabilitation on his biggest injury as soon as possible.
United fans on social media were outraged that he did not get the required surgery directly after the club season ended, as he was not a starter in the international set-up, and the rehabilitation would delay Rashford’s start to the season by more than a month.
Ten games into United’s season, Rashford made a goalscoring return to the team, bagging in his first match back, a 4-2 loss to Leicester. This was followed by another goal in the Champions League against Italian side Atalanta en-route to a comeback win, and then one more goal in a 3-0 win against Tottenham. Heavy losses to Liverpool, Manchester City and Watford in this time though, led to the sacking of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and United’s season continued to nosedive and now currently sit in sixth place with a Champions League place out of the question. Marcus Rashford now sits on 7 goal involvements for the season with one game to go, which is on course to be the worst return of his career so far.
Given this context then, there are several reasons which can be pointed to when determining why Rashford’s form has not picked up this season.
The Team
Rashford has not been the only player to experience a dip in form, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire seeing their performances and outputs plateau. The 21/22 United team is now statistically the worst United team of the Premier League era, only being able to finish on a maximum of 61 points, with the previous lowest points total being 64 in 2013/14. They have also been the worst United defence in the Premier League era, conceding 56 with the team only having a goal difference of 1. The issue could lie within the team and infrastructure at the club itself, with bad recruitment and signings catching up to a team that arguably outperformed expectations last season, finishing 2nd.
Despite what looked like a highly productive transfer window, bringing in Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, United ultimately failed to gel and have had a shocker of a season, failing to play good, consistent football. Knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup early on in addition to going out of the Champions League round of 16 with a whimper against Atletico Madrid adds to United’s league woes.
There have been many embarrassing results in the league this season, such as the aforementioned 5-0 and 4-0 losses to Liverpool, 4-1 losses to Watford and Man City and a 4-0 loss to Brighton to name a few. The team has looked disjointed and at times, disinterested under interim manager Ralf Rangnick and his staff. The only shining lights in the team have seemed to be David De Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Manchester United fans understood some of the problems Rashford was facing despite his positive output in the 20/21 season.
Fatigue and Injuries
Marcus Rashford played 65 games for club and country in the 20/21 season, with only a month break from the delayed ending of to the 19/20 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. There is the argument that the fatigue was always going to catch up with him, with the latter stages of the 20/21 season showing his tiredness as he struggled to put in good performances, but still produced goals and assists.
It masked over the wider issue, as he was being played through all his injuries. He had consistent back and shoulder problems, affecting the way he ran and the speed he ran at. It was evident from watching games that Rashford did not look 100% fit. He wanted to play though, so it could be a combination of the club and his own for not tending to the issue sooner rather than later.
Solskjaer was known to not rotate his squad much, despite competing on three or four fronts in both of his full seasons. It appeared that he did not trust players that were not starters, and this could be catching up to these players this season.
Mindset
Marcus Rashford is a Manchester United fan through and through, being born in Wythenshawe and going through the club’s academy from the age of eight. So, for him to look unbothered and lazy on the pitch consistently throughout the 21/22 season has been shocking to say the least.
Rashford’s body language has been the topic of conversation among pundits, journalists and fans alike, questioning why he looks so disinterested and out of form in a time where United need him most. Ex-United legend Rio Ferdinand said in February that his body language was becoming ‘an issue’. There is the likely reason that he has become overwhelmed in the past couple of years as he has gone from a winger for Manchester United to a lot more, a symbol of hope and courage for the nation and its youth.
It is very possible that the pressure from becoming a beacon of hope may have affected his performances on the pitch, with possible pressure from people around him and the media on top of the expectations from United fans may have become too much for the 24-year-old. On top of this, following his penalty miss in the Euro final, he received a lot of abuse online and from the media, some racial, which would have almost definitely negatively affected him.
Football players are human too, and Rashford’s mental health may need the upcoming summer break to recuperate and give him and his body an incredibly well-deserved break after being at 100 miles an hour for 3 years.
All of the Above
Marcus Rashford has been Manchester United’s talisman in the 2-3 seasons preceding the current one and had the world at his feet. A combination of injuries, fatigue, mental barriers, and the crumbling of the team at Manchester United have played their part in Rashford’s severe dip in form.
He has shown glimpses of what he can still do this season, grabbing a 93rd minute winner vs West Ham and leading United to a comeback Champions League win against Atalanta with the first goal back in an eventual 3-2 win. United fans must be patient with one of their own, as one of the most talented forwards in the country is still in there, he just needs time and rest to get back to where he belongs: The top.
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