Ralf Rangnick has warned Marcus Rashford that he must improve if he wants to reclaim his spot in the Manchester United starting lineup.
Rashford is considering his future at Old Trafford after failing to win over Rangnick, who has deployed Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba as duel false-nines ahead of him this season. Saturday’s draw with Leicester saw Rashford named on the bench despite both Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani missing out through illness and injury respectively.
His struggles at club level have translated to the international scene, where Rashford was omitted from Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the March international break.
Rangnick has vowed to give Rashford the support he needs to bounce back but warned the 24-year-old that he must put in the extra work.
“Marcus, it’s no secret that he is not having his best time right now,” Rangnick said. “It has to do with rhythm and confidence, it’s our job to help him to get this confidence back.
“The only thing we can do is speak to him regularly and tell him what we expect from him and what he should do. The rest has to be done by himself.
“It is possible to develop within a couple of weeks a level of confidence where you can be a different player again.
“We all know that Marcus can play better, but in the end he has to take the steps himself.”
Rangnick has previously stressed that Rashford has looked ‘well’ in training but admitted that he felt Pogba was a better option to partner Fernandes against Leicester.
Despite his limited opportunities, only three United players have scored more than Rashford’s four Premier League goals this season – Ronaldo, Fernandes and Mason Greenwood, the latter of whom remains unavailable.
90min.com
