Marcus Rashford has struggled to find form this season and his performances have warranted criticism, although former Manchester United forward Alan Smith believes some pundits have crossed a line.
After watching Rashford record a tally of 30 goals last season, fans had high expectations for their star forward this season. Erik ten Hag wouldn’t have foreseen such a dip in form but, to the manager’s credit, he has been supportive of Rashford throughout his underwhelming spell.
Ten Hag’s second season has been characterised by the lack of goals and it doesn’t help that Rashford has scored just eight in 39 appearances across all competitions.
There is always a place for constructive criticism in football and I believe players need a kick in the backside from time to time. However, Rashford has been subjected to horrific abuse online in the past. Some of the abuse even questions his loyalty to United due to an apparent lack of effort on the pitch.
It’s evident that the player is going through a difficult period, but he must also take responsibility for some of the decisions he’s made. For instance, Rashford thought it was a good idea to go out for birthday celebrations after a 3-0 loss to Man City in November.
“It’s always difficult for anyone to really know [what is going on],” Smith told FourFourTwo.
“It’s a bit of a generational thing. Criticism of someone’s football has always been an acceptable thing and always been the case, any player has always been through the good and the bad opinions – you want to know that your teammates are the ones that know what you’re doing for the team and the manager, and that’s all that matters.
“Outside of that, it becomes a bit more personal. No one knows what’s going on behind closed doors and I do think that’s where the line has to be drawn. Once it becomes personal then it’s a different story. I feel like you can question someone’s performance, but the line is crossed when you’re questioning someone’s integrity and people have a reaction to it, that becomes the issue.
“Then it becomes a pointless debate about people that people know nothing about. It becomes personal and you’re not talking about someone’s football ability.”
United are in action again on Sunday when they take on Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final. Rashford will be looking to help United reach their third Wembley final in two years under Ten Hag.
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