Michael Owen thinks Marcus Rashford needs to look closer to home about the criticism he is getting at Manchester United.
Before losing the Manchester derby on Sunday, the 26-year-old came out all guns blazing about what he is capable of and slammed those questioning his commitment to the cause.
Some think he should do his talking on the pitch, like he did with his stunning long-range effort at the Etihad, rather than giving unnecessary interviews when he isn’t performing on the pitch amid his team’s struggles.
But Michael Owen thinks one of the people seemingly questioning Marcus Rashford’s efforts is his own manager, Erik ten Hag.
The former striker highlighted how the Manchester United manager has said ‘If Marcus Rashford’s attitude was right he can be a top player’ and he thinks something like that would ’scare me’, as he told Premier League Productions (03/03/24 at 12:40 pm).
Everyone knows the Old Trafford academy product can produce the goods in the big games and score elite numbers.
But when you go from hitting those big numbers and then struggling to hit double figures, then it’s pretty clear what the problem is.
Erik ten Hag and Marcus Rashford
“If I was Marcus Rashford and watching that interview we saw with Erik ten Hag, he was saying ‘if Marcus Rashford’s attitude is right he can be a top player and score goals for Manchester United’,” said Owen.
“If my manager was saying something like that, I would be like ‘woah’. That’s your manager saying it.
“He is bringing out a statement ‘oh, fans are questioning me. People are questioning me’. Your manager has just questioned you. Your manager has just said ‘if he has the right attitude, he could be the difference-maker’.
“That would scare me if a manager said that about me ‘if Michael Owen’s attitude is right’ – it’s not fans, not us, it’s your own manager who is questioning you as well. That should make him sit up and think ‘right, I have got to address this’. It’s about doing it on the pitch.”
Extra pressure on Marcus Rashford
All of this talk away from the field just puts added pressure on Rashford and what will happen going forward.
Those critics will be ready to pounce and verbally batter him if he slips up again, especially against a team they are expected to beat.
That starts with Manchester United’s home clash against Sean Dyche’s Everton on Saturday.
A defensive-minded team, who will be hard to break down and are in a relegation battle.
With Manchester United already 11 points behind fourth spot, fans aren’t going to react positively if they see the same old performances from their players, especially Rashford.
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