Alan Shearer believes Marcus Rashford is unhappy at Manchester United and has discovered that local players are held to a ‘higher standard’ than their international counterparts.
The England international looked frustrated as he was substituted after an hour in United’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday night.
‘I know there’s an unhappy player there,’ Shearer wrote in his Athletic column.
‘There will always be a lot of focus on Rashford’s performances because he is one of the biggest names in the Premier League, an England international, and, yes — absolutely — a local boy.’
On Sky Sports on Sunday, Jamie Carragher criticized Rashford for failing to fulfill his responsibilities as a ‘local’ player and suggested his attitude was a problem.
‘Watching Marcus Rashford last night, that was a poor performance for a number of reasons. […] I’ve been a local player, and it’s not easy, especially when the team is struggling,’ he explained.
‘It’s your job, Rashford, myself, and [Steven] Gerrard at Liverpool, to fix it and drag others up with you.
‘Watching Rashford, he reminds me of [Anthony] Martial, which is the worst thing you could say about him. A foreign player enters and doesn’t seem to care. Rashford is starting to resemble Anthony Martial.’
Shearer understands the pressure of representing his hometown club as a Geordie who went on to score 206 goals in 405 appearances across all competitions.
‘There is an added expectation when you’re a local player because of who you are and what you represent,’ he continued.
‘You serve as a conduit between the club, the fans, and the city.’
Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions last season and was rewarded with a five-year contract worth £300,000 per week in the summer, but he has only scored twice this season.
And, while a prolonged bad run of form was difficult to bear, Shearer insisted that a lack of effort was intolerable.
‘Not running around, not tracking back, and not looking bothered is not acceptable,’ he wrote.
‘That applies to any player, but especially one from the club.’
Rashford and Anthony Martial were singled out for criticism in United’s loss to Newcastle.
The former repeatedly gave up possession and rarely tracked back to assist on defense, whereas the latter argued with ten Hag after being chastised for not tracking back.
The manager of Manchester United was visibly frustrated with some of his players, whose perceived lack of effort drew harsh criticism in the aftermath of the defeat.
Ten Hag refused to comment on Rashford’s performance following the defeat to Newcastle, but said he would speak with the England international privately.
Rashford’s attitude and negative body language, according to Shearer, are cause for concern.
‘Whether Marcus likes it or not, whether they were Manchester United fans or not, I and many others watching him at the weekend saw a player lacking in desire,’ he wrote.
Shearer, on the other hand, believes he will resume scoring soon and believes the added pressure on his shoulders reflects the high standards the forward has set at United.
Rashford’s lack of form is just one of ten Hag’s many issues. According to Sky Sports, the Dutchman’s management style has cost him the support of half of the squad.
Players are said to be unhappy with the style of play and to have complained about training being ‘too hard’, with some senior players ‘not sure what they are running for’ during sessions.
Following the loss at Newcastle, United is seventh in the Premier League, five points out of a top-four spot.
Over the next six days, they face Chelsea and Bournemouth before a daunting trip to Anfield, where they were defeated 7-0 last season.
United must also defeat Bayern Munich on December 12 if they are to advance to the Champions League knockout stages.
