When Manchester United played Villa in the FA Cup on Monday night, when Marcus Rashford failed to score an undefended ball in the penalty area with 16 minutes left, a group of fans complained collectively, and the frustrated look on the face of the 24-year-old when he was replaced 12 minutes later said it all.
Alain Shearer said in the media: "Now it seems that everything is a huge effort for him. Marcus Rashford has privately admitted that his recent performances have not met the standards required at United. But why is he not performing well now? Some Old Trafford sources believe Rashford has been distracted by his help tackling children's food shortages on the sidelines and hope he will spend more time recovering to regain his best form.
However, the England international's disappointing performances were short-sighted simply blaming his charity work. While Marcus Rashford admits he needs to take responsibility for his poor performances, he also needs to consider tactical considerations. Some Manchester United insiders believe the player has yet to find a coach for his particular skills.
He thought former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be his mentor and help him take him to a new level, but the boss left halfway through. Marcus Rashford remains confident Lannick can help him improve, but the team is a complete mess at the moment, meaning the interim coach now has a lot of other issues to work out.
Still, manager Rangnick has clearly not figured out where to put him, he has been placed in three different positions. At this point, of course, Rashford also bears his responsibility. Against Aston Villa, he was placed in the best position to attack from the left, but again performed mediocrely.
His form is falling so fast that he is suffering from a crisis of confidence after 11 consecutive games without goals and no assists. In a week when Cristiano Ronaldo questioned the mentality of his teammates, some may have pointed the finger at Marcus Rashford because of his body language in recent weeks. He sometimes seems pessimistic and cold, but he's obviously sulking only because he's too emotional.
Of course, his commitment to Manchester United football should not be questioned. During his shoulder surgery rehabilitation, Rashford often spent 12 hours exercising at the club's Carrington training base, but the problem was that he couldn't do a lot of training due to his injuries and inability to run, meaning he hadn't fully recovered without preseason.
Although Rangnick has been impressed with Marcus Rashford in recent weeks of training, the club still wants him to sign a new contract, and Rashford has an 18-month contract left for him to extend for another year. He still has plenty of time to prove himself and United remain confident he will soon be back to his best form. Asked why he was underperforming, Rangnick replied: "I don't know. Of course, if he can score a goal, that's a good thing for him. However, as long as he works hard, as long as he trains well, I don't think there's a big problem. ”
Given his health problems, Rashford's current condition is not a major concern, even if his statistics are terrible. During his six-year career, he averaged 0.30 goals per game in the league, a significant drop to 0.18 this season. He obviously needs to improve his data, and it's going to be fast. With Martial seeking to leave, Cavani unable to play twice a week, Cristiano Ronaldo's versatility questioned, and Rashford needs to start shining again.