Why Man Utd NEED to sell Marcus Rashford this summer
FT Desk
- Updated: 4 Apr 2022 08:40 CDT
- 6 min read
Manchester United are in all sorts of trouble on and off the pitch but the club's lack of direction can be perfectly summed up by Marcus Rashford.
Once considered one of English football's brightest prospects, the younf forward has not only struggled to live up to the hype but has undoubtedly stangated in recent seasons.
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Like the Old Trafford club itself, fans look at Rashford and struggle to explain what has gone wrong with a player that should, by all accounts, still be a tremendous Premier League forward.
Alas, with the end of his contract now just over 12 months away, serious question marks are being raised over Rashford's future at the club.
According to ESPN, the club are still keen on extending his deal, but a potential sale hasn't been ruled out this summer. And in many ways it may be the best option for both the club and the player in question.
Rashford has lost his appeal at Man Utd
Few would doubt that Rashford has been unfortunate with injuries since breaking into the Man Utd first team in 2015/16, but what should worry fans of the club is the manner in which the player seems to be regressing at Old Trafford.
can tell he’s been allowed to plateau for so long. As much as I’d hate it, think he’d benefit from playing elsewhere
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) January 10, 2022
After an impressive breakthrough season in 15/16 Rashford seemed to get better with every passing season and seemed to hit his peak in 2019/20, when the England forward was averaging 0.73 goals or assists per 90.
However, that figure dropped down to 0.58 per 90 last season when he bagged 21 goals and 15 assists across 57 games. And this season the player has managed just four goals and two assist, with an average of 0.45 per 90 minutes.
Rashford is certainly not a bad player, but it’s getting harder and harder to justify him as a Man Utd starter.
Now may be the right time to sell
Rashford’s current deal at Man Utd is set to expire in June 2023, which means he’s now got less than 18 months left of his £200,000-per-week contract. And what happens after that is still up for debate.
According to the Mirror, the club are growing concerned at Rashford’s lack of progress in recent years and how the forward has stalled under successive managers.
As such, selling the player in the January window while he’s still worth a considerable €64 million may make more sense than letting him reach the summer window and enter the final year of his deal.
In other words, if Man Utd want to cash in on the youth product, now may be the best time to strike.
