A ridiculous discussion has been ongoing at Manchester United since the weekend, with Marcus Rashford rotated out of the team.
Manchester United cannot start three wingers. Only two of Amad, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford can start.
At the weekend it was Marcus Rashford who missed out. For the first time this season. And while a little surprising, as he had just found his form – we get it. Garnacho and Amad had very strong cases to start too.
It’s an alien concept to most of the media. Erik ten Hag hit out at Jamie Redknapp for suggesting the decision may have been because ‘something has gone on’ behind the scenes.
And then on the Rest Is Football podcast, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker suggested the decision ‘might be’ due to disciplinary reasons, forgetting the quite obvious point that players can be rotated.
Sky Sports devoted a whole segment to it, asking if Ten Hag ‘was right to drop Marcus Rashford’ – ignoring the fact he was rotated, rather than ‘dropped’.
This is sadly just part of the package at Manchester United. Everything is dissected in granular detail by the media, minor non-issues blown up into major dramas.
Jadon Sancho crumbled under Man Utd pressure
Playing for Manchester United is the toughest challenge in modern football. There are intense demands on a weekly basis, with millions watching players’ every moves.
Every issue is under the spotlight, and for some, the pressure is too much. Jadon Sancho was a player who failed to live up to expectation.
Sancho signed for Manchester United for £73 million and will be sold at the end of his loan for a third of the price, going down as arguably the worst signing in club history. Sancho never looked comfortable at United from day one.
At Chelsea, Sancho has had a positive start. He has had two relatively above-average performances, with a little gloss added to them with two assists.
Despite competition for places at Chelsea, the spotlight is miniscule compared to Manchester United. More air time has been devoted to Rashford starting one game on the bench, than Sancho’s actual performances at the Blues.
Sancho was expected to be United’s game-changer, but got lost amid the shuffle. Even before his falling out with Erik ten Hag in September 2023, his impact in two seasons at the club was forgettable.
He even got quite an easy ride from the media, but living up to the pressures at United, set by the great teams of the past and the expectations that come with that, is a truly daunting task.
At Chelsea, Sancho is playing under a lesser spotlight. The fake drama created by the media surrounding Rashford only serves to highlight this.
Imagine on the other hand, if Sancho had stayed. With Rashford not even guaranteed a starting spot, Sancho would not be either. And he would be getting judged on brief performances over a matter of minutes.
Rashford keeps going
At Manchester United, either you can hack it, or you can’t. Sancho is not the first talented player to come to Old Trafford and fail, simply becoming lost amid the sheer size of the club.
Marcus Rashford has had a real rollercoaster ride. One season he is ‘up’, the next he is ‘down’. United fans are praying he will be have positive year this time around.
Rashford keeps going. He might not have a choice, but if he wanted out of United, he would have tried to force his exit.
The media storm surrounding his rotation at the weekend serves to highlight how ridiculous it has become, with his every move scrutinised closely.
Rashford has played 409 games for Manchester United, already the 26th highest in history, and could crack the top 20 appearance makers by the end of this current season.
That’s testament to his mental strength along with his ability on the pitch. While it has been a bumpy ride, his achievements are put into context by the failures of others.
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