Football 'not Marcus Rashford's main priority' as Man Utd star slammed by ex-England coach

It was a sign of Marcus Rashford’s return to some sort of form that his omission from Manchester United’s last Premier League starting line-up caused a fair degree of surprise.

Rashford had scored three goals in two games but Erik ten Hag decided to leave him out of the 11 that took to the field against Crystal Palace. The United boss put it down to rotation but perhaps it was a reminder to Rashford that his contribution over the past year had been nowhere near significant enough.

After all, his goal in the win at Southampton a fortnight ago was his first in the Premier League in six months. And his long-term slump meant that his omission from England’s Euro 2024 campaign came as no surprise to most people in the game.

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It certainly did not shock Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who worked as a striker coach for Gareth Southgate. The Dutchman is a big fan of Rashford’s but has been bewildered by how little impact he has made for United in recent times.

“When you look at Marcus Rashford and you look at his body language - and I’m not saying this is true - but it looks like football is not his main priority,” Hasselbaink told Genting Casino. “Do we know if Rashford can play football? Yes. Hell, yes. When he’s playing off the left and he’s playing his best football, he’s a very, very good player.

"He’s a top player. When he was at his top level, he used to sprint so much and run in behind the defence. He used to work so hard running at defenders. That’s when Marcus is at his best … and I just don’t see that anymore.”

And as well as suggesting Rashford is not as focused as he once was, Hasselbaink also thinks the 26-year-old attacker is not pushing himself to the physical limit, explaining: “For a player like Rashford, when one of your main attributes is that explosive pace, you have to suffer for your art.

“You have to be prepared to give everything to work as hard with and without the ball, and that means, you need to feel a little bit of pain because it takes a lot of physical power to ask your body to do that in every single game. I don’t see a player that is willing to push himself like he used to.”

And while Ten Hag was criticised for his recent decision to rotate Rashford, Hasselbaink believes the ball is firmly in the player’s court when it comes to establishing himself as a major Premier League force.

Hasselbaink said: “It’s not just Ten Hag’s responsibility for Rashford to improve, there has to be the desire from the player. There is no doubt that Marcus Rashford has the ability. It’s a mental thing. It’s down to him to see that improvement. Only Marcus Rashford can unlock himself.”

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