The Manchester United forward has been a shadow of the player who scored 30 goals in 56 games the previous season, earning himself a new contract worth an estimated £325,000 per week.
Rashford’s struggles this season have been evident from the beginning, as he has only scored twice in 21 games. Alejandro Garnacho and Antony, who have been heavily criticized, are currently starting ahead of Rashford in the last four games.
Rashford has been told that he can regain his best form by following the example set by a Manchester United teammate who has persevered through a similar situation.
Last season it would have been unthinkable for the 26-year-old to have been left out of the starting line-up to face bitter rivals Liverpool, but that was exactly the case on Sunday as he started the Anfield draw on the bench before being introduced for Garnacho with 20 minutes to go.
By contrast, midfielder Scott McTominay has gone from strength to strength since being introduced back into the side, becoming an indispensable member of Erik ten Hag’s starting XI.
The United boss wanted to sell the Scotland international over the summer but has now scored six goals in 19 games this season, including braces against Brentford and Chelsea.
Indeed, McTomiay has now emerged as one of United’s most consistent performers in a season of complete inconsistency for the Red Devils so far.
The midfielder’s form was even rewarded with the captaincy on Merseyside, as Ten Hag turned to the Scot in the absence of the banned Bruno Fernandes.
- Man Utd is prepared to pursue a €50 million-rated former Real Madrid winger as a replacement for Ten Hag.
- Marcus Rashford responds to Manchester United transfer rumours following the Red Devils’ poor start to the season.
McTominay setting an example for Rashford to follow
And former United striker Dimitar Berbatov believes that Rashford could learn plenty from how his in-form teammate has turned his own campaign around.
“Marcus Rashford was sick in the week, along with Antony Martial, so dropping the England forward was justified,” the former Red Devils striker told Betfair.
“But even if he wasn’t sick, it’s still the manager’s decision because Rashford has been out of form. When he came on, he didn’t do anything spectacular.
“Giving the captaincy to a younger player who is out of form can help them but in this case it was given to the in-form Scott McTominay and he was fantastic.
“There are a lot of similarities between Scott’s situation and Marcus Rashford right now. He was struggling and no one knew if he was staying at United in the summer.
“Then all of a sudden he scored a few important goals, including his match-winning brace against Brentford, and he kept pushing to start. He’s now captained the team so maybe Rashford can see how McTominay has turned around his situation and take something from it.
“Scott knows exactly what he needs to do. Fight for the team, sacrifice himself for the team. He’s the type of player every team needs. Without players like him, teams can’t go on to do big things, trust me.
“Giving McTominay the armband will elevate him mentally. It will allow him to think more seriously and take more responsibility. It will build him into a better man and player.”
Meanwhile, Fernandes is set to reclaim the captaincy when United head to West Ham in their next Premier League outing on Sunday.
