Manchester United star forward Marcus Rashford seemed to be turning the corner under Erik ten Hag last season at the midway point of the Dutch manager’s first campaign in charge, but, now, he seems to be as lost at sea as ever.
A number of United players have been huge disappointments in 2023/24 under ten Hag, who is very likely going to find himself without a job this summer upon INEOS’ takeover at Old Trafford. Yet nobody has been as disappointing as Rashford, compared to the expectations placed on him as the biggest talent at the club.
Worse than the growing Rasmus Højlund, Rashford has been poor creatively and frustratingly inconsistent in front of goal. Instead of taking a big step forward as a leader on the pitch, Rashford has been a ghost in most of his matches.
The Marcus Rashford transfer rumors are coming
Manchester United have always valued Rashford’s talent and status as a homegrown player, but it is getting to a point where it is fair to wonder if the pressure at Old Trafford holds him back. Without the weight of expectations in England, perhaps Rashdford could blossom into the 20-goal inverted winger he was meant to be.
Expect the transfer rumors around Rashford to seriously swirl this summer, with reporters wondering if Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS brass could view the 26-year-old’s future status much more differently than their predecessors.
Rashford’s talent on paper is prodigious. He’s a real technical wizard capable of scoring 17 goals in a Premier League season, which is a number he has reached on the dot twice in his career. Theoretically, he is in his athletic prime.
If Manchester United were to sell Rashford this summer, they would have to get sufficient value for it to be worth it to essentially give up on a player with world-class potential.
Marcus Rashford is no longer a 100 million euro forward
Elite wingers at a young age tend to go for 100-120 million euros, while elite wingers around Rashford’s age are usually worth 80-100 million euros. When United bought Jadon Sancho from Dortmund, he was a U23 player and one of the best players in Germany He went for 85 million euros. Rashford is both older and not as successful in his current season.
The issue with Rashford is the fact that he is at a low point in his value, which prevents him from being sold for a peak rate of 80-100 million euros, which would have likely been his valuation from, say, PSG after the 2022/23 season.
Now, the deflated 60 million euros proposed by Transfermarkt may be closer to what Rashford is worth. He’s about to be 27, so he is no longer a young player. With seven goals and poor creative numbers (less than a key pass per game), he’s not ben a world-class winger either. For those reasons, if United can get more than 60 million euros for Rashford, that may be too good of a deal to pass up on.
INEOS could reinvest that money in a younger winger or sign two veteran forwards at that rate to tide them over. Giving up on Rashford in 2024 is likely too soon and not in the interests of INEOS without at least trying under a new manager with a better approach, but it is possible teams will call the Red Devils in the hopes they can take a 50 million euro punt and convince Rashford on a personal level that he is better off freshening up his career elsewhere.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.