Giuseppe Rossi certainly makes some interesting points when giving his two pence on a debate which continues to split the Manchester United fanbase almost right down the middle.
Are his best days behind him already are is better still to come? Should the Red Devils consider cashing in, ahead of an expected summer overhaul under Ineos? Or retain him as the posterboy of a new project in the hope that he will thrive in a more settled, coherent environment.
Rossi, the former Manchester United starlet, cannot help but wonder if Marcus Rashford may be heading down a path which is difficult to come back from.
United’s number ten is, after all, 26 years of age these days. He will turn 27 in a few months’ time. And, when you think about some of the other forwards who have made the Premier League their personal playground in recent years, how many have suffered a dip in form quite as dramatic as this?
Certainly not Mo Salah or Sadio Mane. Nor Bukayo Saka or Heung-Min Son.
Can Marcus Rashford find form at Manchester United?
“I said at the start of the season that Marcus Rashford needed time to get back to his world-class level,” Rossi, who himself started his career at Old Trafford two decades ago, tells DAZN.
But he’s had plenty of that and he’s still not playing well. There is something missing and I don’t think we should blame the players around him. He has to play at his best level so that his team-mates can improve.
“When you think about the best players in recent years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they have maintained their success and always elevated the players around them. Marcus Rashford just seems a little distracted at the moment and that doesn’t help when he has to take on more responsibility.”
In all competitions, Rashford has only eight goals this term. Compare that to his tally from Erik ten Hag’s first season at the helm – the first United player to hit 30 in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson – and the sheer extent of his decline becomes clear.
Rossi, like most of us, would agree that this is not an issue of talent. The task, then, falls upon Ineos and Man United’s head coach – be that Ten Hag or another as-yet underdetermined hire – to find an answer to the questions that continue to keep Red Devils supporters up at night.
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Goal tally drops from 30 to eight
“Sometimes, players are scared when they play for the biggest clubs in the world,” muses Rossi, who enjoyed fine spells at Villarreal and Fiorentina before injuries started to disrupt his once-promising career.
“He must start being the leader again and asking for the ball. I hope we didn’t see the best of Marcus Rashford last season. I hope not.
“When you have the opportunity to be in a great team like Manchester United, every day is a blessing. If Marcus Rashford could develop as a leader, United could find themselves in a different position next year.”