Troy Deeney has launched an attack on Marcus Rashford’s form at Manchester United as rumors that he is nearing an exit increase.
The forward became a Red Devils icon after rising through the youth ranks in 2016 before reaching double figures in league goals in three consecutive seasons and also earning plaudits off the pitch with his charity work.
While featuring regularly for England, Rashford also lifted two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League trophy with the club.
However, the United man has struggled of late. He has scored just four times in 15 Premier League appearances this season and assisted once as the Red Devils have slipped to the bottom half of the standings.
And with the Red Devils looking for an overhaul to see new boss Ruben Amorim put his stamp on the club, Rashford’s future at Old Trafford is in doubt with reports this week suggesting chiefs would listen to offers of £40 million.
Former Watford striker Deeney is the latest to criticize the star and has even said so Sun he believes that the Portuguese manager is already ‘fed up’ with his player.
Troy Deeney has delivered a brutal verdict on Marcus Rashford’s recent form for Man United
The striker was previously a regular in the England squad and a key member of the United squad
Former Watford man Deeney has claimed new boss Ruben Amorim is ‘fed up’ with him
He said: ‘I have to ask him, “Do you even want to do this? Do you want to play football?” I don’t see a scenario in the coming months or years where he throws it on his head and suddenly things go well.
‘Rashford looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Everything is always other people’s fault and his application stinks.’
Deeney lamented that the 27-year-old’s career was heading in a negative direction and suggested he is still capable of turning up in big games and making a difference.
But he claimed Rashford then falls into an oft-repeated cycle, where his form begins to fade as a manager’s tenure progresses.
The former Premier League star accepted that United had to take some of the blame as they continued to offer the Englishman new contracts.
‘We saw it on Thursday evening when we came on against Viktoria Plzen and United boss Ruben Amorim already seems to be fed up with him. Look, I’ve been there. It’s not fun when that happens.
He added: ‘As a striker you want to build some momentum, but I was at the Emirates when he came on against Arsenal last week. He was a disgrace. Amorim summed it up best when he joined, telling Rashford that he will have full support but it is up to him as a player, as a person.
It comes after Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher wrote in the newspaper Telegraph That Rashford has not performed at a level to justify the amount of money at his disposal and that his return of 11 goals in 48 Premier League games over the past year and a half was ‘not good enough’.
Pundit Jamie Carragher also criticized the FA Cup winner, but Chris Sutton defended him
The United look is ready for a major overhaul as Amorim looks to make his mark on the club, with plenty of comings and goings expected
United are facing a rush to sell players if they want to provide cash for new boss Ruben Amorim
The former Liverpool defender even went so far as to say that the Red Devils would ‘never win the Premier League or Champions League with him in charge’.
However, Chris Sutton defended the striker on this week’s episode of It’s All Kicking Off, saying: ‘Rashford’s one. With Marcus Rashford you always get the feeling that there is something when he can be committed, when he can really bother. His is the name everyone says, but I didn’t want to be obvious.
“He’s versatile, isn’t he.”
United are under pressure to sell players to meet Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR), and raise money for Amorim to strengthen his squad.
Switching homegrown players counts as a 100 percent gain on the PSR balance sheet, and the spotlight has been on Rashford for some time now, who has been with the club since he was seven.
It is believed the 27-year-old’s asking price would have been as much as £100 million when he scored 30 goals in Ten Hag’s first season at United. But Rashford’s loss of form and the contract he signed last year worth a prohibitive £325,000-a-week means his value has more than halved.
Even then, United are not expecting any offers for Rashford, who started the last two games on the bench before starting in the Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen.
Another option would be for the Red Devils to sell one of their two crown jewels, Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho, but that is something the club wants to avoid.
United are keen to avoid selling Alejandro Garnacho or Kobbie Mainoo, their crown jewels
Summer signing Leny Yoro is seen as a star of the future and is unlikely to be sold
They managed to seal a comeback win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League
Leny Yoro, bought from Lille for £59m this summer as a star of the future, is, like Fernandes, seen as virtually untouchable at Old Trafford.
Otherwise, United would receive offers for most of their squad at the right price. “The reality is that everyone is for sale,” an insider said on Wednesday evening.
United are keen to retain a number of players who have flourished under Amorim, such as Amad Diallo, Matthijs de Ligt, Bruno Fernandes, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte.
The club are struggling to comply with PSR regulations after posting losses of £300m over the past three years. Having spent a further £200m on transfers in the summer, they failed to take into account having to pay a further £21.4m to replace Ten Hag with Amorim.