Man Utd legend tells Marcus Rashford to leave to save his career – ‘It’s actually sad’

Marcus Rashford played the full 90 minutes in the Man United’s 3-0 loss at home to Liverpool on Sunday but was unable to affect the game – and Nicky Butt believes he may have to join a new club in order to progress

Manchester United legend Nicky Butt has urged Marcus Rashford to leave the club for the sake of his career, admitting his decline as a player is “actually sad”.

Rashford has suffered a loss of form with the Red Devils over the last year and missed out on England’s Euro 2024 squad as a result, though Erik ten Hag has kept faith with him and started him in each of the club’s first three games of the season.

The 26-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the club’s 3-0 loss at home to Liverpool on Sunday but was unable to affect the game as he continues to search for a confidence boost having only managed seven goals and two assists in last season’s Premier League – and still searching for his first goal contribution this term.

Butt – an iconic former United star who was part of the club’s famous “Class of 1992” group – has worked with Rashford while coaching the youth teams at Old Trafford and believes he is still capable of becoming “one of the best players in the world”, but feels he must leave in order to progress.

When asked by talkSPORT why Rashford was struggling, he replied: “I don’t know and it’s actually sad watching that because I’ve known Marcus since he was probably eight and nine at Man United coming through and he’s always been the one that you hold hope for.

“I do believe, and people will be screaming down the phone now probably but I do believe, he’s still got the talent to be one of the best top players in the world.

“He’s just not clicking for the last few years at Man United, you’re always saying he’s just going to do it, he’s going to do it but it’s looking like maybe it’s time for a change for him.

“No one really knows what his mentality is, but there’s a lot of talent within that man and he’s a top, top footballer. Maybe it is time to go and find a club where he can get a bit of a deep breath, the eyes aren’t on him all the time.

“He’s the excuse for all the fans, all the fans look at him and it’s not just him, the whole team, the whole squad needs to up the game.”

Rashford’s best season in a United shirt came in the 2022-23 campaign, when he finished the season as the club’s top scorer with 30 goals, though his figures have been inconsistent over the years.

He has six trophies to his name having joining the club as a seven-year-old, with 405 appearances and 131 goals in total.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.