The highs and lows as Marcus Rashford looks to reach the end of the line at Man Utd – The Irish News

Marcus Rashford’s future as a Manchester United player appears uncertain after he declared himself “ready for a new challenge”, two days after being left out of the squad for the Manchester City derby.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the highs and lows of how things have gone for the 27-year-old England striker over the past three seasons.

2022-23

Marcus Rashford won the Carabao Cup in 2023 (John Walton/PA)

United academy product Rashford, who made his senior debut in 2015-16, enjoyed his most prolific season to date, scoring 30 goals for the Red Devils in all competitions in what was their first campaign under under the direction of Erik ten Hag.

This included 17 goals in the Premier League, helping the team to finish third, while United also won the League Cup and were runners-up in the FA Cup. In the summer that followed, he signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford until 2028.

2023-24

It’s time to leave social media for a few weeks. I plan to rest and mentally reset after a difficult season, individually and collectively. Thank you to the fans who supported me during this difficult time. For those who don’t remember it just at United, we still stick together.

–Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) May 27, 2024

United’s form declined significantly – although they won the FA Cup, they finished eighth in the league and made a Champions League group stage exit – as did that of Rashford, who did not scored only eight times during the season.

Questions were also asked about the player’s behavior off the field. Ten Hag said it was “unacceptable” that Rashford went to a nightclub after a 3-0 home defeat to City in October of the campaign, adding that the player had apologised.

Then, in January, United said there had been internal disciplinary action, with Rashford having “taken responsibility for his actions”, having been left out of an FA Cup tie after reportedly spending a late night in a Belfast nightclub and then failing to train due to illness.

2024-25

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim wants Marcus Rashford to stay (Martin Rickett/PA)

This season, Rashford – who was not included in England’s Euro 2024 squad – has scored seven goals so far for United, including the first under new boss Ruben Amorim, named after the dismissal of Ten Hag in November, with the club sitting 14th in the table.

But his decision-making was questioned by former United defender Gary Neville over a trip to the United States during the international break.

And Rashford was then absent, along with Alejandro Garnacho, when United won 2-1 at City on Sunday, with Amorim afterwards saying that while it was “not about discipline”, what was “important is the performance in training, performance in training”. game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you interact with your teammates and push your teammates.”

Rashford later said in an interview with journalist Henry Winter on X that he was “ready for a new challenge and next steps”, with Amorim having since expressed his desire for him to stay.