Marcus Rashford’s World Cup is basically over before it ever really started, and that’s a problem for Manchester United’s summer transfer plans. The 28-year-old forward has gone from starting England’s Round of 32 match against Congo to being an unused substitute for the last two knockout games. Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon — the guy Barcelona just signed instead of Rashford — has taken his spot and is thriving.
Speaking on talkSPORT, former England defender Stuart Pearce admitted he’s baffled by manager Thomas Tuchel’s reluctance to use Rashford off the bench, even when the team needed a goal. “I found it quite strange that when we were chasing a game and looking for inspiration there was no sign of Marcus Rashford,” Pearce said. He pointed out that Rashford didn’t feature against Mexico either, leaving England without a pace option on the counter when games got tight.
Pearce didn’t want to assume too much. “I don’t know whether Thomas has seen something in training that he thinks there’s other players I can trust a little bit more,” he said. “I don’t know whether it was just horses for courses. But I find it quite strange that you can change that many people in a game and you’re looking for a goal, and Rashford’s not one of your go-to guys.”
What went wrong for Rashford
Rashford’s World Cup started okay. He came off the bench against Croatia and scored in a 4-2 win. Then a brief seven-minute cameo against Ghana that ended 0-0. He started against Panama but didn’t do much. And in the Congo match, he was pulled in the 61st minute after failing to make an impact. His replacement? Gordon, who set up two goals in a comeback 2-1 win and has started every knockout game since.
The timing couldn’t be worse for United. INEOS wanted a strong World Cup from Rashford to spark a bidding war. Instead, the player they loaned to Barcelona last season — where he had 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 games and helped win LaLiga and the Supercopa — is now sliding into backup duty. Barcelona had a €30 million purchase option but passed on it and signed Gordon from Newcastle instead.
There’s still interest from Premier League clubs. Arsenal and Tottenham have reportedly been monitoring the situation. United are open to reintegrating him into preseason but a sale would be pure profit given his academy status. Paul Scholes recently said he doesn’t see Rashford staying at Old Trafford beyond this summer.
At 28, with two years of uneven form behind him and a World Cup where he’s become an afterthought, Rashford’s value is dropping at exactly the wrong time. Maybe a fresh start somewhere else is the best outcome for everyone involved.
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