Man United ace ‘lacks personality’ and has just had a wake up call, says pundit

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Stuart Pearce believes that one England forward’s surprise omission from the 30-man squad for the European Championships should be a wake up call.

One of the more controversial decisions made by Gareth Southgate for the upcoming tournament in Germany was the omission of Marcus Rashford.

The Manchester United winger had a poor season by his standards, especially considering the academy graduate had scored 30 goals in all competitions during Erik ten Hag’s debut season.

Rashford started in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and the English winger was vital in the lead up to the Red Devils’ second goal at Wembley Stadium, which proved to be decisive.

Pearce on Rashford

Speaking on talkSPORT, former City manager and Nottingham Forest left-back Stuart Pearce believes Rashford’s omission from the 30-man squad should be a wake up call for the winger.

“You talk about Marcus Rashford. The last caller turned around and said it could adversely affect him. I think it should be a wake-up call to this kid,” Pearce said. “The talent that he has got. I have watched him at United, and every once in six games, he goes and does something, he gets you off your seat, he cuts inside and scores a wonderful goal.

“You think, you are one of our most talented players, you should be leading this squad, and you forced the England manager to leave you out of the squad because of your form.

“This is going to be harsh of me to say, he lacks real personality on a football pitch to grab his club side and take them to where they should be. He has been there since he was a kid. Grab the club by the scruff of the neck and lead the club. That’s the age he is at the moment.”

Rashford’s struggles

Since breaking into the United first team back in 2016, it has been tough for the winger to string together consistent performances across a season.

During Ten Hag’s debut, the winger was on fire and netted vital goals against Barcelona, Manchester City and Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.

In the campaign just gone, however, it was a forgettable one for the winger with his antics off the field affecting his performances on it. Next season will be an important one for Rashford, no matter who the manager is at Old Trafford.