Apocryphal Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford. The player who divides opinions like no other.
Apocryphal : Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true.
Marcus Rashford.
The name stirs up so many opinions. From topping the CIES lists as the most valuable player in the world in January 2021, to his public fight against the British Government. Rashford’s story is ebbed with highs and lows. Accused of being a PR merchant and not caring for his club everywhere he goes.
Maybe just a flawed individual trying to fit in a dysfunctional environment?
Very few stories in football feel story-like. Rashford’s meteoric rise from a substitute for Van Gaal to an exciting first team player was nothing short of a fairy tale. United were on the back of a horrifying 2-1 defeat against Mityjland. Wayne Rooney was injured prior to the game which led to Anthony Martial to take up his spot instead.
He was injured during the warm up for the game which forced Van Gaal to play the youngster. The rest as they say is history…
Or is was it?
To say Rashford had a meteoric rise is a bit of an understatement. He was absolutely phenomenal at everything he did. Everything he touched he turned to gold. At one point it felt as if he would score on every debut.
So how does a player of such promise and prowess just dissipate? If you asked a football analyst, coach or fan back in 2016, what they thought Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford would achieve in their career, no one would have predicted the present.
My attempt here is to deconstruct the argument made against the individual that he simply isn’t good enough and try to throw light on the wrong perceptions about him.
Abilities and Weaknesses
His strengths are quite easily visible for anyone who has watched Rashford over the last few years. An exceptional transitional player with brilliant runs off the ball and ball striking to match almost anyone. However he is not limited to that his dribbling 1v1 is really good, so are his agility and athleticism. He is a really smart player who knows how to cross well, can execute a number of finishes.
However, there are some glaring weaknesses like pressing intensity and intent, back to goal play and trouble with breaking down low settled blocks.
With an understanding of things that he is good at we are at a good position to look at the stats and get a better understanding of him as a player.
These look messy at first but converting it into per 90 paints a better picture.
For an individual getting around 0.6 goals or assists per 90 is pretty impressive for a forward deemed to not be consistent. Something even more interesting from the data is the fact that in 9 seasons in the Premier League he has only had 3 seasons where his G+A has been below the average of 0.6.
Just to put it into perspective these are the stats for Sadio Mane
My attempt here is not to compare the two individuals with completely different playing styles but bring forth the importance of the environment where players are developed.
The Importance of Environment
Player development is a multifaceted process that goes beyond simple training. The key here is to create an environment that supplements the growth of the individual. Allowing them to hone their talents in settled environments allows individuals to grow and reach their potential.
Let us look at the example of Bukayo Saka a wonderful right winger from Arsenal who looks certain to become one of the best in the world. Saka never put up exceptional numbers in his first two seasons and was shuffled around but was given the time to grow and develop.
During the Euros final three individuals stepped up to take penalties which would change the course of their careers. For Sancho and Rashford their careers would suffer and they weren’t able to hit the levels that were expected from them. However, for Saka under the stewardship of Mikel Arteta who was instrumental at changing the culture at Arsenal it provided the right guidance to a youngster who was finding his feet in the league.
Environments make a huge difference to the growth of not only an individual but also the player.
"Young players need freedom of expression to develop as creative players."
- Jurgen Klopp
“Developing young talent is about creating a balance between their natural abilities and their understanding of the game.”
-Jose Mourinho
“The most important thing for young players is to learn how to think, how to analyze the game, and how to make decisions quickly.”
“To develop a young player, you must teach them to understand and love the game deeply, and to play with passion and intelligence.”
-Marcelo Bielsa
Which make Rashford’s current ability a testament to his own resilience considering the turmoil at United.
United dis-united.
To put it simply, Manchester United are a mess. The team is consistently in some form of trouble. There is always a crisis to deal with at United especially in recent times.
They have been for more than a decade. A famous quip from rival fans is that Manchester United is a graveyard for football talent. Look no further than the Golden Ball winner from 2015. Think about Paul Pogba who was arguably one of the best midfielders in the world in 2015 destined for intergenerational greatness.
For a team that prides on the development of youth and is based around the mantra of “Youth, Courage, Success” there hasn’t been any of the latter two for some time.
Now how does it all tie down to Marcus Rashford?
Think about Jack Grealish at City who is both viewed more positively in the media who has had an absolutely horrendous season. He was still selected ahead of Rashford in the Euros squad. To put things into perspective Grealish has had 32 goal contributions for City in 125 games.
Rashford has 32 goal contributions against the Sky Big Six alone.
Rashford is a victim of poor planning and choices at United. Where his development has been hampered massively by managers with differing principles and styles. Secondly in 10 years United have had 2 continuous finishes in the top 4. Which shows how unbearably inconsistent the team is.
Add in the poor player culture developed by managers being unable to get the most out of unmotivated individuals fighting for their own jobs. Sprinkle in the nature of the individual and you get an easy target a scapegoat if you must.
It is not a coincidence that United have done extremely poorly in the seasons where Rashford has not played well.
The Talisman
Rashford is United’s 12th highest goalscorer. With 131 goals in 402 appearances. Just the names above him show the esteemed company he finds himself in. However he is still targeted with talk about not caring about the club. It is even more intriguing when only 12 current players have more goals than Rashford in the premier league.
For an individual who is 53rd in the all time Premier League goal scoring records and 89th in the all time Premier League assists records he is an individual rarely given credit the way his peers are.
Whenever there is discourse that Rashford is an individual who does not care for the club he grew up at the following article reminds me about how far he is willing to go for his club.
(excerpt from the same)
It is even more mind boggling to think of United fans who pride themselves at backing players even when the entire nation is against them as shown with Beckham and Ronaldo, are the ones who end up abusing him.
It is even more mind boggling when Rashford is often the talisman bailing United out with moments of magic. He has scored the most number of winners as a United player since his debut.
Blame him for the right reasons
Now this is not to say Rashford is above any blame. More is expected from a player who understands the values of the club. Someone who grew up in Carrington watching SAF surely needs to take care and show more leadership qualities.
He does not embody the club but understands the values and the ethos of the institution and for someone paid as much as he is should display more leadership qualities.
More is also expected from an individual at the club when things do not seem to be going his way. In terms of body language when his confidence is low Rashford looks often like he would do anything but be there on the pitch.
His decision making can be rash when things are not going his way and he can lash out at his chances. Reflected in his poor conversion rate throughout his career.
What next?
Well the future is unclear. If any of his past records and blips are to be considered we are bound to see a massive upturn in his form.
However if things do not work out for him what next?
Especially with the rise of Garnacho who is younger and with multiple seasons ahead of him ready to pounce on any uncertainty from Rashford his future seems a little bit cloudy.
How many clubs in the world can afford Rashford? PSG and Khelafi are always interested.
In conclusion, while Rashford has failed to live upto the meteoric expectations from his debut season the evidence suggests he has made the best out of what was available to him in scenarios where better players have tried and wilted.
At 26 these are the last two years and quite conclusively the last developmental cycle available to him. Now it is upto him to take that challenge and reach the heights that he was destined to reach.
