Gordon Strachan believes the pressure is on Manchester United players Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount to perform better in the upcoming season.
Neither Rashford nor Mount had a campaign to remember in 2023-24, and Strachan pointed to them as key examples of a culture at Old Trafford that allows players to underperform.
"There are a lot of question marks about some of Manchester United’s so-called big players, guys like Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount," Strachan told topoffshorecasinos.com. "Mason Mount was injured last season and it can take time to get used to a new club.
"The problem that Man United have had over the last few years, is that so many of these underperforming players are on huge wages, so it’s hard to move them on. It’s up to ten Hag and his team to get the best out of their talent and it’s up to the players to want to improve and be better.
"For years now players have been allowed to get away with sub-standard performances. There’s a nice lifestyle that comes with being a Manchester United player, and a lot of these guys just look pleased to be in the shirt and at the club."
Strachan, who played for United in the 1980s before embarking on a coaching career that lasted over two decades, urged Rashford and Mount to engage in self-reflection and show the urgency that propelled each of them into elite status earlier in their respective careers.
"For Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount, they need to decide what type of career they want to have at the club," Strachan said. "They have to show the right application and commitment every single day. We know Marcus can do it after what he has shown during his career, and to be fair to Mason Mount he was injured most of last season so I’m sure he’ll be hungry to prove the doubters wrong.
"If as a manager, you’re looking in the eyes of these guys, and that goes for every player at the club, and they don’t understand how big Manchester United is and what it means to play for the football club, how privileged they are, then they shouldn’t be there. They need to think that losing a game of football for Manchester United is the most horrible thing in the world.
"Several Manchester United players need to deliver this season. It’s that simple."
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