Marcus Rashford on the Market | OneFootball

This shocking news came after the forward was benched for the Manchester Derby, and he had to watch his team’s remarkable come-from-behind victory in a parka.

What a far cry this is compared to his 2016 derby debut, in which he scored the only goal and notched United’s first away win since 2012. Rashford immediately became a legend.

Ups and Downs

“Marcus Rashford 2022-11-21 1” by Hossein Zohrevand is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

To be fair, Rashford’s potential has always outpaced his actual performance. Despite pundits and coaches like José Mourinho hailing him as “the future of England”, he has never had a league goal tally higher than 17, and scored double digits in only four of ten seasons. His lifetime goals per appearances is a respectable 0.32, but way below the figures for comparable players like Mohamad Salah (0.61) or Harry Kane (0.64). This season, Rashford has 7 goals in 24 appearances and polishes the bench as often as he trods the pitch. He was also dropped from the England national squad.

Rashford’s 2022-23 season was his best: a combined 30 goals and 8 assists in all competitions. He was a darling in the eye of manager Erik ten Hag, and he signed a five-year contract extension with the club that secured him a £365,000 week salary.

A New Top Dog

Data doesn’t lie. And Sir John Ratcliffe, the largest minority shareholder of the club and current football policy jefe, is a ruthless bean counter. He’s obviously paired the on-field performance data and a handful of public disciplinary incidents (visiting a nightclub after a derby defeat last October, calling in sick after reputedly visiting a Belfast night spot, and jetting off to New York to watch an NBA game), placed everything on the scales, and found Rashford wanting.

It’s even rumored that United is seeking a low transfer fee and will essentially part ways in exchange for salary. I’m sure the windfall of selling a homegrown player would ease the FFP pressure of the £113M loss, which must be in the executive team’s calculations.

This action also serves as a reminder that Sir Jim is not nostalgic. He furloughed 250 people late last year, parted way with Sir Alex Ferguson and raised ticket prices. There’s a new top dog at Old Trafford, and he’s got a bite.

What’s Next?

Rashford is only 27, and a phenomenally talented player with pace and panache. That weekly salary, however, is outside the realm of 95%+ of clubs. Who do you think would roll the (expensive) dice and take him on? Comment below.