Marcus Rashford's well-documented struggles this season took a turn for the worse last week after the longtime Manchester United star was spotted in a nightclub before telling his team that he was too ill to attend training.
Rashford was hit with a fine from Erik ten Hag, who now considers the issue "case closed" after meeting with the player.
While that specific incident may be behind the club, Rashford's struggles on the pitch remain a concern as the 26-year-old has scored just four goals so far in the campaign. The prolonged dry spell comes immediately after he struck for a career-high 30 times in all competitions last season.
Getting Rashford back to top form is a priority for a United side that have scored just 24 goals in 21 Premier League matches this season, and one former Red Devils player believes the issue may lie away from the pitch.
Alan Smith, speaking to BritishGambler.co.uk says that Rashford should be continuing his ascent as one of the deadliest attackers in the league rather than going into a season-long slump.
"It’s disappointing if anything comes out that’s not football related," Smith said. "He’s one of the most talented players in the country and he was so good last year.
"For me, he should have built on that. He scored 25 goals last season, he should be scoring 30 goals this season, 35 goals next season. That’s how it should be, and how he should approach it.
"To score 25 goals and then go back to slacking off if that’s what he’s done and not turned up for training – not just Marcus Rashford, but any young player."
Smith, who played for Man United, Newcastle, Leeds and England during his career, thinks that a refocusing of his priorities could be good for Rashford.
"The mentality should be ‘how do I keep improving every year?’ and I didn’t experience anything like that when I was at Man United, because players would win trophies and would want to win another one the year after, and that is just the history of the club," he said.
"It should be built into you as a person and part of your character."
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