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Sports丨Amorim, Rashford no longer United

CHINADAILY · 公众号 · · 2025-02-06 11:35

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Marcus Rashford was once hailed as Manchester United's golden boy and the social conscience of the Premier League, but the misfiring forward leaves Old Trafford for Aston Villa with his reputation tarnished after a precipitous fall from grace.

Rashford appeared to have the world at his feet when he signed a new five-year contract with United worth a reported 325,000 pounds ($400,000) per week in July 2023.

▲ Marcus Rashford during the warm-up before an English Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Dec 30. AP

Fresh from scoring 30 goals in the 2022-23 season, the England star appeared to be entering his prime at the age of 25.

Rashford's approval rating was sky-high, both on and off the pitch, after his role in forcing a British government U-turn over free school meals for disadvantaged children and his campaigns against racism and homelessness.

The Manchester-born forward even featured on the cover of British Vogue in 2020, alongside supermodel-turned-mental health campaigner Adwoa Aboah, as one of nation's "Faces of Hope".

But, the 27-year-old's drop-off in form and fallout with his boyhood club has been so dramatic that his loan move to Villa on Sunday, with an option to buy, came as little surprise.

Rashford joined United at the age of seven and emerged from the youth academy as a teenage prodigy in 2016, scoring twice on his United debut against Danish outfit Midtjylland and repeating the feat in his maiden Premier League appearance against Arsenal.

At the age of 18, against Australia, he became the youngest England player to score on his debut.

He won the Europa League and twice won the FA Cup and League Cup, scoring 138 goals in 426 appearances for United, but has failed to fulfill his early promise.

The roots of Rashford's United exit can be traced back to December 2022.

Just back from the World Cup in Qatar, on a high after scoring three times, Rashford found himself in trouble with then United manager Erik ten Hag after oversleeping and reporting late for a team meeting prior to a match at Wolves.

Dropped and chastised by Ten Hag, he came off the bench to score the winner.

Rashford was in hot water again in January 2024 after reports he had been seen at nightspots in Northern Ireland — he missed training after calling in sick and did not feature in the club's 4-2 FA Cup win over Newport County.

▲ Rashford celebrates after winning the English FA Cup final with Manchester United against crosstown rival Manchester City at London's Wembley Stadium on May 25. AP

'Distraction'

As questions over his work ethic persisted, former United captain Gary Neville, now a Sky Sports pundit, warned him to "calm down", saying: "He's going through a dip in form, but it can become your personality if you're not careful".

But, he endured numerous lengthy spells without finding the goal as Ten Hag struggled to lift United last season.

Rashford was not entirely to blame for his loss of form, as a succession of managers deployed him as both a winger and a central striker, denying him the chance to grow into one role.

He was left out of England's Euro 2024 squad and responded in limp fashion, managing just one goal in his first 11 league appearances this season.

A trip to New York, where he was pictured attending an NBA game during the November international break, was interpreted as further evidence that Rashford had lost focus.

He ended his barren streak by scoring the first goal of Ruben Amorim's reign after only 81 seconds at Ipswich in November.

But Amorim, who had arrived from Sporting Lisbon to replace the sacked Ten Hag, dropped a bombshell when he left Rashford out of the squad for United's win at Manchester City in mid-December, questioning his attitude and work ethic.

Days later, the forward, who has not played since for United, said he was "ready for a new challenge".

Amorim has been bombarded by questions about the player ever since, but stuck to broadly the same talking points.

Last week he made perhaps his strongest statement yet, saying the club's 63-year-old goalkeeping coach had a better chance of making his team than Rashford.

"The reason is the training, what I think a footballer should do in training, in life and every day. If things don't change, I will not change," he said. "It's the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, and the right things, then we can use every player."

▲ Rashford takes a shot at goal during an English Premier League match between United and his new club Aston Villa at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Dec 26, 2023. AP

'A real opportunity'

Neville believes the move to Villa, which is eight points ahead of United in the Premier League and in the Champions League, will suit Rashford, saying he "had to get out of the club" after Amorim's "brutal" statements to the media.

"There are a number of things that are in his favor at Villa," he told Sky Sports.

"He's going to a far better team at this moment, he's going to a coach who's world-class, which is a real opportunity for him."

There was speculation about a move to Italy or Saudi Arabia, but Rashford is staying in England, and now needs to prove to Villa manager Unai Emery he deserves playing time.

"I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me, but Aston Villa was an easy decision," Rashford posted on Instagram.

Sports丨Amorim, Rashford no longer United

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