The 24-year-old forward, Marcus Rashford, has suffered his most trying season at Old Trafford thus far this season in what has been a forgettable campaign for the club collectively.
Marcus Rashford’s penchant to disappear from Manchester United games this season has caused one club source to believe he has developed a habit of “becoming a ghost.”
The England international was forced to play catch-up after delaying shoulder surgery in order to represent the Three Lions at Euro 2020, which meant the operation occurred at the start of the Premier League season.
As a result, Rashford missed the campaign’s opening months and did not regain match fitness until October, albeit his individual form has remained stagnant since.
Rashford’s on-pitch difficulties have sparked concerns about his future at the club. Following his recent derby setback at the hands of Manchester City, speculations circulated that the 24-year-old was ‘exploring his options’ over a possible change of scenery.
Rashford has admitted he would not rule out trying himself abroad, and he was linked with both FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
According to reports, some close to United have expressed concern over Rashford’s inability to make an effect on games. After being eliminated from all competitions and falling 20 points behind Pep Guardiola’s City, the club’s trophy drought is certain to continue for another season.
Following Atletico Madrid’s Champions League defeat, things became tense outside Old Trafford when a small portion of United fans directed their frustration directly towards Rashford, who appeared to reply angrily.
Grainy footage of the Red Devils’ number 10 gesticulating to fans was misinterpreted as the forward saying anything obscene, though he quickly confirmed that was not the case with a social media message.
“Every story has two sides. A picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case, inaccurate information was spread on social media. Guys, I’ve been heckled, intimidated, and interrogated for weeks, and last night, my emotions got the better of me.”
“I am a person. Every day, reading and hearing such information about yourself wears you down. Nobody is harsher on my performance than I am.”
“However, what you see in this film is devoid of context. From the moment I stepped outside the ground, I had been heckled, and not just for my football. People were anticipating a response from me. Phones were readily available. Naturally, I should have gone straight by it and ignored it; after all, that is what we are meant to do, isn’t it?”
“I’d like to clarify two points. The first is what I actually said to the man hurling abuse at me, which was “get over here and say it to my face” (a fact confirmed by security), and the second is that I directed the fan to ‘come over and say it to my face’ with my forefinger.””
“I did not make a middle-finger motion. I am ineligible. This is not about ego. I’m displeased. I’m miffed. And if it seemed childish at the time, I was being human.”
Rashford’s slide has been so precipitous that he was left out of England’s recent series of friendlies, with some United officials hoping the attacker takes his time off to reclaim his form and fitness ahead of the league season’s final stretch.