Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has a theory about Marcus Rashford’s recent struggles, and it involves two of the greatest players in soccer history. But not in the way you’d expect.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes suggested that Rashford got lazy out of possession because he tried to emulate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The problem? He’s not quite on their level.
“I think the problem with Marcus is that he got influenced a bit by what Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi did,” Scholes said. “I know that sounds a bit weird because it’s those two but I think he got really lazy out of possession and he thought, ‘I’m that good,’ and going forward he is that good.”
Rashford is currently with England at the 2026 World Cup, but his long-term future at Old Trafford is still a mess. He fell out with former manager Ruben Amorim, spent 18 months on loan at Aston Villa and then Barcelona, and now nobody seems sure what to do with him.
At Barcelona, he looked like his old self. Fourteen goals and 14 assists in La Liga, a league title, a Supercopa. But Barcelona passed on the €30 million option to buy him — and then went and signed Anthony Gordon from Newcastle instead. That tells you something.
INEOS is open to letting him go, but there are also reports United might bring him back into Michael Carrick’s squad. Scholes isn’t convinced that ever actually works out.
“It very rarely happens when a big player, like Marcus, goes to a big club on loan for a year, two years, whatever it is, they very rarely come back and play for the team,” Scholes said. “If anybody can get someone right then I think it would be Michael Carrick.”
The Ronaldo and Messi Trap
Scholes went deeper on why Rashford’s approach changed. He thinks the 28-year-old watched Ronaldo and Messi float through games, only defending when they felt like it, and decided he could do the same.
“He can beat people, he can score goals, almost the way Kylian Mbappe does really. I know it’s stupid, again, to put him on that level but he won’t run back anymore. I think we’ve seen that with England games. United winger cannot do that. Going back through the years, they have to be up and down, up and down.”
Scholes argued that wide players for a club like Manchester United don’t get to pick and choose when they defend. “When you’re not as good as them, you’ve still got to do that, and that side of it will put Michael off because you’re not in possession of the ball all the time. But Marcus has got that ability to actually destroy teams.”
Rashford has 138 goals and 79 assists in 426 appearances for United. His contract runs through 2028. The talent is still there, clearly. But his work rate, his defensive discipline, that’s been the knock for a while now.
Fans are split. Some want him back because United’s attack was painfully average last season. Others think the drama isn’t worth it — that having Rashford around creates a distraction, for the players and the fanbase. Maybe a clean break this summer is the best thing for everyone involved.
Scholes didn’t say whether he’d personally welcome Rashford back. But he made it clear that only one person can make that call work.
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