Marcus Rashford recently travelled to New York
Marcus Rashford recently travelled to New York (Image: NBAE via Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford has been told to sacrifice his lavish lifestyle off the pitch and focus on being a better player for Manchester United.
Rashford has endured another frustrating start to the season, with his commitment and focus coming under scrutiny from fans and pundits. United forward Rashford's form has tailed off since signing a new £300,000-a-week deal on the back of scoring a career-best 30 goals in the 2022-23 season.
Last season he managed just eight goals from 43 United appearances, while this season he has scored seven from 23 games. That drop-off has led former United striker Louis Saha to question Rashford's desire to fulfil his potential.
“Marcus has to actually show his obsession about football again,” Saha told Casino Utan Spelpaus. "He needs to clearly show that he's obsessed and that he wants to be the best player. If he's doing something outside the game, he will understand the consequences.
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“You can do whatever you want, travel everywhere you want, but there are consequences. If you're obsessed, you don’t need those distractions. He should be obsessed, which will only improve his game.
“When you see interviews with athletes that he really admires, they all say the same thing. When they want to reach the top, they train more than anybody. You don't see them doing anything outside.”
Saha said Rashford – who came in for criticism recently for jetting off to New York during the international break - can only enjoy a high-profile lifestyle off the pitch if and when he reaches the level of a Ballon d'Or winner.
“When you're not playing at Ballon d’Or level, you have no luxury to go outside, because people will notice,” said Saha. "This is the balance that you need to find. I'm sure that he's been advised to enjoy his life, to relax, but at this stage, with his status, it's not possible. He has to be obsessed.
Rashford has struggled for goals since bagging a career-best 30 in the 2022-23 season
Rashford has struggled for goals since bagging a career-best 30 in the 2022-23 season
“He has to be ready to focus on how to connect with the fans. This is an element of being a local boy. I don't know how much he needs to do on that. When he is going to have targets, when he is playing in a system where he enjoys his football again, I'm sure that he's not going to have to concentrate on what he's doing away from the pitch.
“There's no doubt that Marcus has to behave in a certain way. He’s always under scrutiny. He has to understand. He can't just ask people to shut up. They're not going to do it. You have to understand that scrutiny is normal because a superstar. He perhaps thinks that he's still very young and that he should be protected from all the scrutiny and left to get on with his football.”
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