Louis Saha believes “consistency” is holding Marcus Rashford back – Man United News And Transfer News

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Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has revealed how “difficult” it is to see Marcus Rashford’s struggles at Old Trafford this season.

Despite being a highly-rated and decorated forward himself, Saha reveals he had “nowhere near the amount of potential” the England international does. He believes Rashford should be in the “debate for the best player” in the Premier League this season.

The Frenchman even goes as far as contending we should be discussing Rashford as a potential Ballon d’Or candidate. “But we’re not!”, Saha frustratedly expressed. Instead, the topic dominating conversations about the Englishman is how is embroiled in yet another controversy over his attitude and professionalism.

Rashford was made to train alone at Carrington on Sunday as his team travelled to Newport County in a crucial fourth-round FA Cup tie. He was dropped from the squad after reporting ill for training on Friday, just hours after flying back from a night out in Belfast.

Rashford’s trip to the Northern Ireland capital had been sanctioned by the club, with the expectation he would return to Manchester on Thursday. Instead, he stayed in Belfast for another night out Thursday, before flying home on Friday morning.

He was subsequently excluded from the match-day squad for the FA Cup.

When Erik ten Hag was pressed on the matter in a pre-match interview, the Dutchman gave a reply as terse as it was tense. “It’s an internal matter,” he repeated, before stating “I will deal with it.”

A report by The Peoples Person revealed Rashford was summoned to Carrington this morning for “showdown talks” with Old Trafford officials. He’s expected to be fined two weeks wages but may yet face further punitive measures.

Saha believes this type of behaviour is counterproductive for Rashford’s team. When pressed on whether the former player-turned-pundit felt sorry for Ten Hag, Saha revealed: “Yes I do because these stories are not helpful for a club that is trying to get back to its best. Marcus is a player that has huge expectations on him and he’s putting the club and Erik ten Hag in a position that they don’t want to be in.”

The Frenchman believes Rashford must honour his obligations as a “big ambassador” for the club and set an example of behaviour and standards for younger players. If he doesn’t, he simply makes himself a target for the media to go after.

“Marcus Rashford is a big, big ambassador for the club and he’s an example for the other players, especially those in the academy. All the players need to be on their toes and they need to be better. We all expected him to score at least 15 goals this season but that hasn’t been the case, so he needs to do better. 

“We saw the situation regarding him going out for his birthday immediately after Manchester United were beaten 3-0 at home by Manchester City and he has to understand that regardless of what other people are doing, it doesn’t mean that he has to be doing the same as them. He needs to be aware that people are waiting for any opportunity to put his name in the newspapers, so he needs to avoid doing these things.”

Saha references the mentality of his fellow countryman, Thierry Henry, as an example for Rashford to aspire to.

In a recent interview, Henry revealed that he did not stop for a moment to think about the success of Arsenal’s famous ‘Invincibles’ season in 2004. Instead, he immediately began preparation for the European Championships with France that summer. It’s this commitment to success that “Marcus needs to follow,” Saha states. “The great players we all remember all had consistency and Marcus doesn’t have that currently.”

Perhaps Rashford could start with not failing to show up to work due to a hangover first, then start working on the consistency to be one of the game’s all-time greats. We need to walk before we can run.