Graeme Souness has weighed in on Marcus Rashford’s tumultuous season after it was confirmed on Tuesday that he’d been omitted from the England squad.
Gareth Southgate named his provisional 30-man squad for the Three Lions’ warm-up fixtures at the beginning of June, after which he’ll have to trim his selection down to 26 before the team jet off to Germany.
Only three Manchester United players made the cut this time around: Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, although it remains to be seen how much the latter could feature given that he’s endured another injury-plagued season. The trio will be hoping to retain their place when Southgate sends four players home next month.
Of course, we’re all aware that Rashford’s form has been nowhere near up to scratch – in fact, United fans know that better than anyone. But his experience and frequent high-quality showings for his country had England supporters assuming he was somewhat of a shoo-in, and Paul Merson also echoed that sentiment, saying he’d have ‘100 per cent’ taken the forward to the tournament.
Alas, the 26-year-old is resigned to missing out this time around. Hopefully, he can use the omission as fuel to get back to his best over the summer and oversee a campaign similar to 2023/2024, which was a career-best for him.
Souness mulls over Rashford’s career trajectory
Speaking on the Simon and Souness Show regarding the much-debated topic, Souness declared: “It is more difficult to be a young starlet if you’re at Man United than anywhere else. They get far too much acclaim, adulation, money, recognition – everything you want – they get far more at Man United than any other football club.
“And I think that was the case when I was a player, and it’s still the case. There’s been no leadership from the management to him [Rashford]. If you think of Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] with Ryan Giggs and the way he dealt with it, he became an absolute world superstar.”
The former Liverpool man continued: “He [Rashford] could end his career as one of the great disappointments in the history of the English game, with all the ability he possesses.
“I think he has everything. The only thing you would say he is missing is he’s not a clinical finisher, but he’s had a couple of good years. He can drop a shoulder, and he’s got electric pace.
“He got 30 goals last year, and he’s got seven [Premier League] goals now, I’m not describing a top player.”
