Marcus Rashford confidant thinks some critics are "bullying" him.

We can't afford to carry him and his fake defensive work. Look at how other teams play, their wide forwards work their socks off. He's just walking around "pressing" at jogging pace and teams pass around him with ease. Then our full back is exposed, midfielders have to come over and help, huge gaps appear in the middle etc.
He's not Messi to be allowed to not do defensive work.

No wonder him and Bruno want to play "transition" football. One loves to hoof the ball, the other to chase it without having any defensive duties. Selfish players are dragging us further down.
 
Renegade said:
Strangely enough you don’t hear about his charity work / PR anymore since his form dropped off.
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It is 'strange enough' to equate his excellent charity work with 'PR'. Telling, too.

Think this may be a failure of coaching, and a consequence of PR-friendly social media culture.

Having a thin skin about shit-stirring journalists is nothing new at United, or its legends at other clubs.

Whether it's the guardian trying to set the tone for last year's cup final, Keane demanding mobiles be switched off, Fergie threatening Alan Green, Jonathan Pearce piling on Cantona's reaction to being racially abused... I could go on and on and on....

The media is not (always) our friend and there's no doubt they went inon Rashford after he beat 'boris'
 
FreakyJim said:
We can't afford to carry him and his fake defensive work. Look at how other teams play, their wide forwards work their socks off. He's just walking around "pressing" at jogging pace and teams pass around him with ease. Then our full back is exposed, midfielders have to come over and help, huge gaps appear in the middle etc.
He's not Messi to be allowed to not do defensive work.

No wonder him and Bruno want to play "transition" football. One loves to hoof the ball, the other to chase it without having any defensive duties. Selfish players are dragging us further down.
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The frustrating thing about Rashford is that pressing is a team game. An individual pressing is almost useless, it’s about pressing in packs and either 2 or more players shutting down the player with the ball quickly or one player shutting down the player with the ball and the rest quickly shutting down his options and angles.


What Rashford does is performative rather than effective. He sometimes does the bit which the camera and fans focus on - pressing the ball, albeit half heartedly most of the time.


What he doesn’t do is the rest of the work, pressing passing options and working his socks off to cut passing angles which is essential because it results in turnovers where the opposition is caught out.

It pains me to say it but it’s the reason Klopp’s Liverpool were so effective.
 
Even during his purple patch moments I never ever thought he was a top player. The contract was a ridiculous decision from everyone involved and until a manager has the balls to completely drop him and get someone actually good on the left we are stuck with him.
 
Pexbo said:
What Rashford does is performative rather than effective. He sometimes does the bit which the camera and fans focus on - pressing the ball, albeit half heartedly most of the time.
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Just before he was taken off against Brighton he was over on touchline on far side of pitch. His replacement was already lined up and he'd more than likely seen his number flash up on the board and he knew he was going off. For about 5 seconds he was chasing the ball and closing down the player on the touchline line a man possessed. Entirely performative, aware it would be his final contribution. An urgency and commitment that somehow alluded him for the the entire match up until a few seconds after he realised he was being subbed off.

His aerial challenges are similarly performative and appears to often deliberately mistime his jumps so it looks more unlucky than someone not wanting to complete for the ball
 
Rojofiam said:
1. No, it isn't impossible. You just need to profile the two players, and then also compare the environments they play in. Rodrygo isn't a more valuable profile than Rashford and neither are the other players you listed except for those 4-5 names.

2. Yes, Rashford isn't performing up to his true level because the tactical setup is shit, and he's being used as a touchline winger when he's an inside forward. It's like using Maguire/De Ligt as a wide defender where their strengths are hidden and their weaknesses are uncovered. Or telling Salah / Mbappé to stay wide, hold down the touchline, and stay in deeper areas rather than being the closest player to the opposition's goal from your team.

However, the team not collectively playing well is a result of many things, Rashford being misused is just one of them. But it's not Rashford that decides his own role and position. ETH is misusing, or has misused Onana, Martínez, Maguire, Mainoo, Fernandes, Mount, Casemiro, Amrabat, McTominay, Fred, etc. many players

"The best players play well even when their teams play poor" this is just a sentence you think sounds good so must be true, but not even close to being true.
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1) And when you profile them, anyone can clearly see Rodrygo is a better and more talented player who is superior to Rashford in every aspect of the game excluding shot power. He is more valuable because he is 4 years younger, is a Brazilian national, is one of the best players for Real Madrid and is a consistent performer at the top stage in both league and CL. He can also play both wings to a very high level.

2) He isn't being played as a touchline winger, so don't know why you keep repeating that. He is played as a left winger, his favourite position. His words. And he plays like he has before, he tries to cut in and shoot, or go on the inside and assist. It has always been his game. The only difference now is that he doesn't have the pace, explosiveness or acceleration to cut in to shoot, as defenders just keep track with him. And even if he were to play like that, what of it? Rodrygo plays on the right despite being a left winger and still delivers.

3) You don't think it's true that the best players deliver when when their team doesn't? So Son and Kane carrying Spurs didn't happen, Salah scoring 19 goals and 12 assists when Liverpool was poor in 22/23 and came 5th, Vinicius being phenomenal in CL when Real were struggling, Messi, Ronaldo, Lewandowski etc. They didn't turn up when their respective teams were having poor periods?

It is a fact, and is precisely a big reason why they are considered the best players in the world to begin with. If you don't like it, then fine. Hate facts all you want.
 
The more he talks about not being able to cope with bullying, the more our opponents will bully him on the pitch.
 
United will never be successful again while the weak mentality of Rashford remains at the club.

He's a symbol of epic failure.
 
Rojofiam said:
Why?

Because you cannot grasp that one player cannot be solely responsible for a team completely falling off the cliff like United did twice in the last 3 seasons?

Or that there are different types of wingers, and ten Hag has been putting Rashford in noticeably deeper positions and closer to the touchline, since the start of last season?

Or you don't want to accept that whenever we had a "good" team and season (and by good I mean a somewhat functional side that can get into the top 4, not a title challenger or anything like that, Rashford has never had the opportunity to play in such a team even for a single season of his career so far), Rashford was always one of our best players?
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@harms answered for me in the first paragraph in post #121

Rashford played as a striker from the left, devoid of any team responsibilities. If you believe him to be a talent who merits that kind of status then that’s your right, and it’s my right to find the notion laughable. He’s shown over the years to be, in my opinion, quite mediocre with a few beautiful purple patches. His status in our club is a big reason for our misery I think (not entirely his own fault). His lack of aplication focus and development is entirely his fault though.
 
KD6-3.7 said:
Even during his purple patch moments I never ever thought he was a top player. The contract was a ridiculous decision from everyone involved and until a manager has the balls to completely drop him and get someone actually good on the left we are stuck with him.
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Its amazing just because we had a walcott regen in the academy we completely abandoned signing a left winger for a decade.
 
KD6-3.7 said:
Even during his purple patch moments I never ever thought he was a top player. The contract was a ridiculous decision from everyone involved and until a manager has the balls to completely drop him and get someone actually good on the left we are stuck with him.
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Same here. I've honestly never really seen it with him even when he had his purple patch.

He doesn't have the mentality or the footballing IQ to be a really top player. We should have sold him a year ago when he had a value.
 
Pexbo said:
The frustrating thing about Rashford is that pressing is a team game. An individual pressing is almost useless, it’s about pressing in packs and either 2 or more players shutting down the player with the ball quickly or one player shutting down the player with the ball and the rest quickly shutting down his options and angles.


What Rashford does is performative rather than effective. He sometimes does the bit which the camera and fans focus on - pressing the ball, albeit half heartedly most of the time.


What he doesn’t do is the rest of the work, pressing passing options and working his socks off to cut passing angles which is essential because it results in turnovers where the opposition is caught out.

It pains me to say it but it’s the reason Klopp’s Liverpool were so effective.
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You're absolutely right. I think lots of people fail to realise that it only takes ONE player to not be fully committed to that pressing/defensive style and everything collapses like dominoes.

I'm not saying Rashfrod's the only problem we have but he's a major one.

From where I stand it just looks like ETH is afraid of dropping Rashfrod (and Bruno). Or he's plain not very smart, like at all. Either way - we've got problems.
 
Tarrou said:
nobody

probably less than 10 teams in the world can afford his wages, and is he isn't justifying anywhere near those wages
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Saudi is probably the only destination that would pay his wages & value him as a "big name signing"
Would Rashford want to go that route is another question.
 
Grand Vizier said:
Mbappé, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Son, Kvaratskhelia, Rafael Leao, Luis Diaz, Nico Williams, Trossard, Garnacho, Doku, Savio. I'd also put Gordon, Grealish and Martinelli above him. Rashford isn't the same player he once was.
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Your forgot one Sancho....
 
Is he referring to opponents as "critics" these days? Interesting.
 
KD6-3.7 said:
Even during his purple patch moments I never ever thought he was a top player. The contract was a ridiculous decision from everyone involved and until a manager has the balls to completely drop him and get someone actually good on the left we are stuck with him.
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I got ridiculed when I said he was a bang average player who happens to go on a 3 month purple patch every few years or so and we should have let him go on a free rather than offer him an improved contract.

He’s championship level at best when he’s not on one of his hot streak. His technique is middling and is just purely reliant on him being able to outpace his defender (which hardly ever happens nowadays). His lack of effort doesn’t need to be stated, it’s infuriating.
 
Some of you guys are hilarious. Rashford was easily our best player today. One goal and an assist but still gets the blame for our defensive issues.

ETH with an absolute mindboggling man management of him this season so far as well. As soon as he is on fire he benches him or takes him off. But kept playing him last season while low on confidence and underperforming.
 
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Swiss_Red89 said:
Some of you guys are hilarious. Rashford was easily our best player today. One goal and an assist but still gets the blame for our defensive issues.

ETH with an absolute mindboggling man management of him this season so far as well. As soon as he is on fire he benches him of takes him off. But kept playing him last season while low on confidence and underperforming.
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He's their scapegoat now, no going back
 
Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has revealed that Marcus Rashford is surrounded by too many people who are not honest with him.

According to McCarthy, Rashford does not have the greatest support system as he is surrounded by too many people who tell him what he wants to hear as opposed to people who are fully honest with him.

McCarthy told the broadcaster, “Obviously Rashy is special, a special player and a special human being. He’s Man United through and through.”

“With me, with me it wasn’t ‘oh Rashy’ it was ‘Marcus’ with me I was straight to the point and he respected that.”

“Instead of sweet-talking him because I need him to score so the team wins for other reasons.”

He added, “I was a straight shooter, and I don’t think he has enough people in his life who are straight with him because everyone tells him what he needs to hear and what he wants to hear, but I was normal and I think he appreciated that.”
 
Ahmer Baig said:
Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has revealed that Marcus Rashford is surrounded by too many people who are not honest with him.

According to McCarthy, Rashford does not have the greatest support system as he is surrounded by too many people who tell him what he wants to hear as opposed to people who are fully honest with him.

McCarthy told the broadcaster, “Obviously Rashy is special, a special player and a special human being. He’s Man United through and through.”

“With me, with me it wasn’t ‘oh Rashy’ it was ‘Marcus’ with me I was straight to the point and he respected that.”

“Instead of sweet-talking him because I need him to score so the team wins for other reasons.”

He added, “I was a straight shooter, and I don’t think he has enough people in his life who are straight with him because everyone tells him what he needs to hear and what he wants to hear, but I was normal and I think he appreciated that.”
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The quote and the story not exactly matching up. More chum for the the vile YouTube wanker in chief.
 
Benni McCarthy was there last season when he had a stinker sulking and moping around the pitch. Where was his straight talking then?
 
We need a manager who is willing to hold his players accountable, even if their name is Marcus Rashford.
 
Ahmer Baig said:
Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has revealed that Marcus Rashford is surrounded by too many people who are not honest with him.

According to McCarthy, Rashford does not have the greatest support system as he is surrounded by too many people who tell him what he wants to hear as opposed to people who are fully honest with him.

McCarthy told the broadcaster, “Obviously Rashy is special, a special player and a special human being. He’s Man United through and through.”

“With me, with me it wasn’t ‘oh Rashy’ it was ‘Marcus’ with me I was straight to the point and he respected that.”

“Instead of sweet-talking him because I need him to score so the team wins for other reasons.”

He added, “I was a straight shooter, and I don’t think he has enough people in his life who are straight with him because everyone tells him what he needs to hear and what he wants to hear, but I was normal and I think he appreciated that.”
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Not sure McCarthy should be trying to boast about the impact he had on Rashford during his worst season at the club..
 
His reaction to criticism has indicated that he's surrounded himself with people who have convinced him it's all unfounded.

The core issue has always been his application. His talent, abilities and skills limitations aside. It's the multitude of times during the last two or so years where he's clearly, demonstrably and undeniably has completely half-arsed a game.
 
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