Rashford’s Manchester United actions must speak far louder than his thousands of empty words
Marcus Rashford choosing words – 2200 of them – over actions to defend his commitment to Manchester United has swayed few of his critics. He cannot simply claim there is no case to answer…
There is a lot to unpack from Marcus Rashford’s attempt to reintroduce himself. Which probably seemed a good idea when it was pitched to him.
First he goes for the media, despite ‘not trying to have a go at the media’. And he makes some very fair points. Rashford is right about one thing – his child-feeding exploits did ‘rub people up the wrong way’. Marcus Rashford MBE boiled all the right piss with his activism during the pandemic and thereafter. And we love him for it.
Then, though, he drops his shoulder to take on critics of his perceived levels of commitment to Manchester United. Which is from where, in keeping with his performances this season, Rashford half-sprints down some dead ends.
If you ever question my commitment to Man United, that’s when I have to speak up. It’s like somebody questioning my entire identity, and everything I stand for as a man. I grew up here. I have played for this club since I was a boy. My family turned down life-changing money when I was a kid so I could wear this badge.
No-one can doubt his veracity here. This is the crux of his attempt to describe ‘who I really am’, and Rashford repeatedly leans heavily on his past to defend the present. The very idea that someone, anyone, could question his devotion to the United cause seems utterly abhorrent to the 26-year-old because of the sacrifices he and his family made in what sometimes must feel like a former life.
What other reasonable conclusion, though, is anyone meant to draw from Rashford’s performances this season? Introvert or not, he cannot be so devoid of self-awareness to dismiss even the notion that his efforts have fallen short of the required standard.
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Rashford is different. He made it his business to stand out while using his profile to put food on children’s plates and he accepted the pedestal he was given for doing so. From there, the extreme receptions he receives must be head-melting for a lad who grew up with only one thing in mind.
In that day job, he has been treated differently too. But not in the way he seems to think. Because he’s all the things he says he is – a boyhood red who came through the ranks from the earliest phases – Rashford has benefitted from more patience than many others who have flailed around him at Old Trafford in the last eight years.
It hasn’t been a free ride. He’s banked plenty of credit with some huge performances, big goals, and spells of sustained brilliance. But that credit is close to its limit. And rather than hide behind an illusion of fronting up, Rashford should be dwelling on why that is.
Everyone can’t be wrong, can they? For criticism of his application seems close to unanimous, across supporters and pundits, some of whom played with Rashford. ‘He’s a great lad, but…’. Nicky Butt mentored him and despite his loyalty, even the former United midfielder and academy boss is prepared to say he’s “not working hard enough”.
Nicky Butt on Marcus Rashford.
He’s not happy at the moment. Clearly. On or off the field. He needs to sort his head out. But he’s a great lad and one of ours.
It doesn’t help that he’s in a sh*thole of a dressing room at Manchester United. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/xCRGCkg6O0
— Emma Priestley 🐝 (@LiMissP) January 28, 2024
So apparent is Rashford’s drift, match-going United fans took a similar line to Butt saying he “needs to sort his head out”. The widespread assumption was that something must have been going on, an issue the public were not privy to and most likely had no business being so.
Patience does not run as deep with many of Rashford’s team-mates, some of whom aren’t lacking for effort even if quality is sparse. Christ, even Bruno Fernandes, who runs his bollocks off, remains United’s most creative and consistent talent and hasn’t missed a game in 427 years, doesn’t enjoy the insulation from criticism and scrutiny that Rashford has been afforded.
Even if Rashford genuinely believes he is giving his all to maintain the status he has worked and sacrificed to achieve, it cannot have escaped him why his efforts are being perceived as so lacklustre. His body language – “everything in life”, according to the same Pep Guardiola who would take him at the Etihad – persistently portrays a man thoroughly p*ssed off with his lot.
Body language can be subjective; intensity far less so. Elite-level players are pored over to the Nth degree, and even if United’s analysts haven’t picked up on it, Twitter’s certainly have. There are countless hard-to-defend examples of Rashford barely offering even the illusion of intent to chase man or ball.
He’s not alone. United have been a team of pretend pressers for years, which has driven managers mad long before Ten Hag. The Dutchman has copped plenty of flak for failing to organise a coherent pack, but pressing is a collective pursuit. When one phones it in, it becomes a fruitless endeavour. Rashford here is as culpable here as anyone.
It is not just about running around. Nor is Rashford obliged to play with a smile on his face. Doing neither, though, while offering so little in terms of tangible output, of course, draws scrutiny. And Rashford does himself and his club a disservice if he dismisses the justifiable criticism that follows as an agenda-driven assault on the philanthropic ‘character’ he brought to life.
Rashford’s letter to we’re not sure who ends as confusingly as the 2200 words that preceded. “If you back me, good. If you doubt me, even better.” If Rashford really did feed off the scepticism, he would have feasted by now. Instead, we’re really starting to ponder the unthinkable: would United and Rashford be better served without each other?
