Former Manchester United striker Mark Hughes has said that Marcus Rashford is “one of the worst” when it comes to his off-the-ball efforts.
Hughes was an outstanding forward at Old Trafford, and also impressed at Bayern Munich, and had spells with Chelsea and Barcelona, amongst others.
While he celebrated success with United in Europe and in the Premier League before he moved to Stamford Bridge, his relationship with United became more difficult as he joined rivals Manchester City as their manager.
Speaking to William Hill, Hughes thinks that a poor workrate from Rashford and others is at the heart of United’s current travails under Erik ten Hag.
“I don’t think the players go out with the intention of not trying, that doesn’t happen, but I think [Marcus] Rashford has slipped back into the mindset that he had prior to last season – he doesn’t look happy,” he said.
“He obviously had a lot going on outside the game which maybe took something away from him, and perhaps he just needs to focus back solely on what his role is when he’s asked to put on the shirt for Man United.
“I look at United and think a lot of their problems stem from the wide areas. When the ball goes past them, their response is just not good enough. The lads need to track back and if they lose possession, they have to regain it as quick as they can.
“If you compare them to how Man City react when they lose the ball, it’s chalk and cheese. If Phil Foden loses the ball on the right hand-side, he wins it back, same with Jack Grealish. Rashford is an outstanding talent and is one of the best in the league when it comes to taking someone on, but without the ball, he’s probably one of the worst. He’s got to sort that part out.”