New Rashford contract shows Man Utd’s standards have plummeted
Robin Bairner
- 28 Mar 2022 21:31 BST
- 3 min read
Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United future may be decisively resolved by the Old Trafford club before the summer transfer window.
According to a report from ESPN, the England international forward is in line to receive a new contract despite abject recent form that has seen his place in the side threatened.
Over the course of the season, Rashford has scored only five goals for the club, albeit missing the start of the campaign because of a shoulder injury. Nevertheless, his return of four Premier League strikes is universally considered to be disappointing from a player who should be capable of so much more.
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The decision for Man Utd to hand Rashford a new deal, then, smacks of the acceptance of mediocrity that appears to have become endemic at Old Trafford since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Bruno Fernandes has accepted terms on a new contract that could be announced this week, as confirmed by FootballTransfers, but it is hard to put Rashford into the same bracket of player as the Portuguese, who has spent much of his time at Man Utd carrying the club to some extent.
Rooney slams Rashford form
Indeed, Rashford’s position was perhaps put best by Wayne Rooney, who is reported by The Sun to have said this weekend: “To get the record and be United’s highest goal scorer is f*cking massive.
“What I hope is that Marcus Rashford f*cking gets his head out of his a*se and goes and breaks that record. He is a Manchester lad.”
Man Utd sending out the wrong message with new contract
But Manchester United’s willingness to hand the out-of-form Rashford a new contract sends the wrong messages. True, it is good to see them supporting one of their academy graduates as he wrestles with a difficult period in his career, but it also suggests that they are content with the status quo.
How can Rashford be expected to push himself to the limits each day if he is aware that is current form is seen as adequate?
This should not be the action of a superclub that is presently in the midst of a trophy drought that is set to stretch into a sixth year.
Manchester United is a club with unique pressures in the Premier League, and these must be embraced as they seek to find their way back to the top. Nothing but the best used to be enough for this team, but tying Rashford down to a contract extension off the back of a well below-par season sends out the message that ‘OK’ will do.
