Former Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has used Liverpool’s success under Jurgen Klopp to highlight the difficulties at Old Trafford
Marcus Rashford may have paid the ultimate compliment to Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.(Image: 2024 Soccrates Images B.V.)
Former Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has paid the ultimate compliment to Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp to express his frustration at his parent club’s recent lack of success. The attacker questioned the Red Devils’ direction after years of decline.
Liverpool have managed to exceed the achievements of their fierce rivals after Sir Alex Ferguson led United on a dominant path. Since the Scot stepped down at Old Trafford, United have slowly toppled from the peak of English football to the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Klopp orchestrated the rejuvenation at Anfield as he was forced to endure building the framework which later catapulted the Reds back to the summit of English, European and world football.
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However, at Old Trafford it has been a different story with many managers trying and failing to heed the club from freefall.
Speaking on the Rest is Football, Rashford highlighted United’s lack of patience in their recent run of managers, using Liverpool’s success under the German as a barometer on how transition periods work.
“Show me a success team that just adapts,” he began.
“When Fergie was in charge, not only the principles for the first-team but the academy set-up so you could pick of 15 years and they’d all know how to play the Man United way. Any team that has been successful, there has been a principle so any player that comes in has to align or add to the principles.
“At times, I think United were hungry to win so we’d try to adapt and sign players that fit this system but it’s reactionary. If your direction is always changing, you can’t expect to win the league, you might win some cup tournaments because you have a good coach, players and match-winners.
“But you’re not there by accident, yes we have been way below where we deem United to be but if you take a step back like I’ve been able to do over the last six months, what do you expect? People say we’ve been in transition for years but you have to start it.
“The actual transition hasn’t started yet. When Liverpool went through this with Klopp, they stuck with him, they didn’t win in the beginning, people only remember his final few years when he was competing with Man City and winning things. To start a transition, you have to make a plan and stick to it, it’s not easy to do.
“This is where I speak about being realistic about the situation, we’ve had that many different managers and different ideas, strategies in order to win, you end up in no man’s land.”
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