Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane claimed that Marcus Rashford was “part of the problem” at Old Trafford in light of comments from the player which appeared to blame his surroundings.
The United academy graduate fell out of favour in Manchester last year, securing a loan move to Aston Villa over the second half of last season. When it became abundantly clear that there was no chance of reintegration this past summer, Rashford successfully pushed for a move to Barcelona.
When presented earlier this week with his struggles with form, Rashford argued: “I feel like I have been in an inconsistent environment for a very long time, so it is even more difficult to be consistent.” That was widely interpreted to be a sideswipe at the dysfunction gripping Manchester United over the last decade.
Rashford played for six different managers during his nine years in the senior side at his boyhood club, each one trying to instil a wildly contrasting style of play with a squad bought by the previous regime.
“Towards the end of his time at United, there was obviously issues,” Keane acknowledged during his role as an angry talking head on ITV before going on the attack. “He was part of the problem with the environment, especially [as] one of the most experienced players at United.
“He should have been setting the standards and showing new people at he club what it’s like to be a United player. But that’s been well documented. What we have to look at is he’s got this chance now with England and he deserved it.”
Rashford earned a recall to the national team under Thomas Tuchel back in March after a year in the international wilderness. The 27-year-old played the second half of last week’s friendly win over Wales before making the most of his 19 minutes on the pitch against Latvia on Tuesday night with a front-foot display which has become increasingly typical.
Keane: Rashford Can Become World Class
For all his curmudgeonly tendencies, Keane was not universally negative about Rashford.
“No doubt about his talent, he’s obviously fantastic,” the retired United captain admitted. “But the bit that would have frustrated fans is his body language, not running back or not pressing properly. That’s the things he needs to tidy up and if he does there’s no reason he can’t become a world class player.”
Tuchel specifically outlined that he selected Rashford “for the work-rate against the ball” which he has shown for Barcelona and Aston Villa since being frozen out at Manchester United by Ruben Amorim.
This enthusiasm off the ball coupled with a prolific run of goals and assists—Rashford has directly contributed to six goals in his last half-dozen appearances for Barcelona—has many at the club expecting him to make his temporary stay permanent.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Roy Keane Fires Back at Marcus Rashford’s Man Utd Swipe.
