Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has been slammed ahead of his impending season-long loan move to Barcelona after being accused of letting the club down
Marcus Rashford has been accused of letting Manchester United down as he nears a move to Barcelona(Image: MB Media/Getty Images)
Marcus Rashford has been accused of letting Manchester United down as he closes in on a move to Barcelona.
The forward passed a medical after travelling to Catalonia on Sunday night ahead of a proposed season-long loan to the current La Liga champions. The 27-year-old is expected to spend his time away from Old Trafford once again next term after his four-month spell at Aston Villa earlier this year.
Rashford was frozen out at United by head coach Ruben Amorim following his appointment in November last year. Joining Barcelona was believed to be the England international’s preferred option after falling out of favour and he now appears to have got his wish, with the deal reportedly including an option to make the switch permanent.
The agreement will see Barcelona cover Rashford’s £325,000-a-week wages for the season after he is said to have accepted a 25 per cent cut in his pay, saving United a considerable amount of money. However, former Liverpool and Villa striker Dean Saunders has now slammed Rashford after questioning his attitude and claiming he does not deserve to play for Barcelona following his mixed performances in recent years.
The ex-Wolves and Wrexham manager also questioned the Spanish club’s logic in signing him.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Saunders said: “I think a lot of people are baffled. Hansi Flick is the manager and Deco is his director of football. I don’t know what’s going through their heads. What have they been watching that we haven’t?
Marcus Rashford flew to Barcelona on Sunday night ahead of his loan move(Image: Getty Images)
“I thought Rashford was nearer to going down the same road as Dele Alli than he was of going to Barcelona. Whether he deserves that move? Well, basically, he doesn’t.
“I don’t think he can produce brilliance. I think a talent is turning up every week. That’s the biggest talent you’ve got, having the mindset to turn up and perform every week.
“There’s a lot of players at Man United who have let the club down. In my era, Man United were the biggest club. If you played for them, you had to be the best player in the world in your position, with the best attitude.”
Former Wales and Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders slammed Marcus Rashford for letting United down(Image: talkSPORT)
He added: “He [Rashford] has had years of [people] getting behind him and he’s let the club down. In five years, he’s had one good season.”
Rashford’s lack of work ethic was previously cited by Amorim as a reason for leaving him out of the squad for the Manchester derby last December. During his continued absence from the team, the Portuguese boss made a scathing comment, claiming he’d rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than field a player who lack commitment.
“If you do the maximum and do the right things, we can use every player,” Amorim said. “And you can see today on the bench, we missed a bit of pace to go, to change the game. I will put [Jorge] Vital [on the pitch] before I put a player that does not give the maximum. I will not change in that department.”
Marcus Rashford’s work ethic was a major bone of contention for Ruben Amorim(Image: Getty Images)
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick gave the green light to Rashford’s imminent signing after holding direct talks with the player. The club has been actively searching for a left-sided forward this summer, with Rashford understood to be high on their shortlist alongside Liverpool’s Luis Díaz and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams.
However, Díaz’s price tag proved to be a major stumbling block, and Williams recently committed his future to his current team with a new long-term deal. As a result, Rashford emerged as the most viable and attainable target.
Meanwhile, United are looking to offload several out-of-favour players to fund a major squad overhaul. The rebuild is already underway, with Matheus Cunha arriving for £62.5 million and Bryan Mbeumo following in a £70 million move.
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