Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce feels Manchester United should have parted ways with Marcus Rashford during the summer transfer window.
Rashford spent last season on loan with Barcelona after falling out of favour under manager Ruben Amorim. He impressed for the La Liga giants, scoring 14 goals and providing 15 assists.
The Blaugrana had the option to purchase him for £26 million at the end of the season, but opted to sign Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon instead for a significant fee of around £70 million.
Rashford has since been integrated into the United squad after the lack of suitable transfer offers, but the decision has not proved worthwhile, with no goal contributions in six appearances.
His worst performance of the season no doubt came against Fulham (1-1) last weekend. He missed a clear-cut chance to open the scoring and was guilty of losing possession on 11 occasions.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast after the Fulham draw, Allardyce said that Rashford should not be playing for United after Barcelona opted against signing him permanently.
He said: “Marcus Rashford shouldn’t be there. I don’t know what [United] got offered, but clearly they thought it wasn’t enough and they would get more.
“If he did Barcelona and they didn’t sign him after a full season there, they said he did alright, and signing [Anthony] Gordon from Newcastle at a much bigger fee than United wanted for Marcus Rashford, I think tells you a story.”
Rashford faces make-or-break season at United
Rashford’s career at United seemed pretty much over after he was deemed surplus to requirements under Amorim, but his fortunes changed after the Portuguese’s dismissal as manager.
Michael Carrick took the job on an interim basis in January before securing the permanent managerial role. He opened the door for Rashford’s comeback once Barcelona did not trigger the clause.
The decision was appreciated by the club’s faithful, but the 28-year-old has yet to make a meaningful contribution. His performances have deteriorated during the early weeks of the new season.
Rashford still remains a key player in the XI under Carrick and has almost an entire campaign in front of him to convince the hierarchy that he can contribute to the club’s long-term success.
On current form, the left-sided winger does not deserve a starting berth. We would prefer to see him dropped to the bench when United host Tottenham Hotspur after the international break.
Rashford is presently sidelined with an injury sustained against Fulham. Still, there is optimism that he will be deemed fit to play again once the extended three-week international break concludes.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com