‘Strange’—Marcus Rashford Dealt Stinging Criticism by Man Utd Hero

While musing over Marcus Rashford’s “strange” situation at Manchester United, Wayne Rooney brutally questioned the fundamental values of his compatriot’s endeavor and the people he surrounds himself with.

Rashford made his first appearance for United since December 2024 in Sunday’s friendly against AC Milan and appears set for reintegration at Old Trafford this season. Even before he was exiled by Ruben Amorim, there were doubts surrounding the academy graduate who endured fluctuating form in front of goal, and Rooney was at pains to reignite that debate.

“It’s just such a strange one with Marcus because we know he’s got the ability. He’s shown that,” Rooney lamented on Stick to United.

“For me, has he got the hunger, does he want to play for Manchester United? Now, if he wants to play for Manchester United, the first thing he has to do—I’ve been there in 2010 when I asked to leave the football club—he has to build a relationship with the fans.

“And the easiest way to do that is to work hard and body language. Marcus’s body language isn’t great, and so it might be something he has to work on. He might have to work with someone to make his body language look better.

“His work rate has to improve, but if he wants to be at the football club, he just needs to knuckle down.”

Marcus Rashford jogging. — Marcus Rashford made his first appearance in a Man Utd squad since 2024 against Milan. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Since his last competitive appearance for United, Rashford has impressed on loan spells with both Aston Villa and Barcelona. Youri Tielemans has stressed how all the speculation over the forward’s work ethic was wildly overblown in the media while Barça boss Hansi Flick has openly mourned his Catalan exit.

Despite ringing endorsements from outside Old Trafford, scrutiny within the club remains.

“If he’s back playing for Manchester United, he has to have a real close look at who’s round him,” Rooney added, turning his attention toward Rashford’s agents and representatives. “Only he can say who the people are around him who he really trusts. Because there’s not many people you trust really. It’d be a small amount of people, keep them close to him, go into training, work hard, get himself right. If he does that, he’ll be fine.”

Rashford Set Vast Goalscoring Challenge by Rooney

Marcus Rashford — Rashford has not played for United in 20 months. | Stephen White - CameraSport/Getty Images

For all the criticism Rooney was keen to dish out, he also acknowledged that Rashford is the only player currently at the club with any chance to dislodging himself as Manchester United’s all time top scorer: “He’s a young lad. He’s from Manchester. He’s the one player who can go and get my goalscoring record.”

Rashford ended his first spell at United with 138 goals for his boyhood club, 115 shy of the high watermark Rooney—the one player he idolized above any other. Based upon the scoring rate of his senior career, it should theoretically take Rashford more than 350 games to climb up to Rooney’s record. That’s at least eight seasons’ worth of matches, which would take the proud Mancunian into his early mid-30s.

It’s not inconceivable. However, Rashford appeared unlikely to make even one more appearance for United a matter of weeks ago. The fickle fates of fortune are hard to predict.

“I don’t want to see Marcus Rashford doing well at Aston Villa or doing well at Barcelona,” Rooney concluded. “I want to see him doing well at Manchester United and scoring goals for Manchester United. But that means he has to he has to just get his head down, work his socks off, and then be more positive.

“But it’s on him.”

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