Marcus Rashford has to prove his worth for Manchester United and England over the next few weeks to make it a summer to remember, says Paul Ince.
The striker came off with an injury in United’s FA Cup penalty shootout win over Coventry at Wembley nearly a fortnight ago and has been out of action since, and isn’t expected to feature against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
But with his future at Old Trafford up in the air – and a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros potentially in the balance – Ince insists the 26-year-old has to sort himself out quickly.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford ‘takes strong stance’ on Man Utd future and £80m transfer
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag responds to claims that most of Man Utd’s stars are for sale – apart from three
Learn more
Sky Sports is bringing you 500 live football games to watch, as well access to Cricket, Golf, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA and more across eight dedicated channels. Sky Sports is the only way to watch all the action this year.
£22 a month
Sky
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens at the end of the season,” he said. “For Rashford, it’s not just been him struggling, though. At times that whole United side has.
“But goals give players confidence and he’s got to keep going as there’s lots of competition for places on England’s left-hand side. He needs to make sure he’s fit and getting nearer to his best as we reach the end of the season.
“Going into the big tournaments England need all their players firing. Just look at Phil Foden at City and Declan Rice at Arsenal. You really want all of your players to be in decent form.”
What should United do with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho this summer? Let us know in the comments section.
(Image: Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Rashford finished last season with a career-best tally of 30 goals. But he’s been out of sorts this term, with just seven Premier League goals to his name, and was spotted partying in Northern Ireland in January.
Ince reckons Rashford could benefit from a change of scenery – just like Jadon Sancho who is flourishing back at Borussia Dortmund on loan. Sancho struggled for form and consistency at United, scoring 12 goals in 82 appearances, and also fell out with Erik ten Hag.
(Image: Getty Images)
But the 24-year-old has got his groove back in Germany and produced a virtuoso display against Paris Saint-Germain in midweek. “Sometimes it’s the wrong time, moment or situation for a player,” added Ince.
“You see it with a lot of players where you think, ‘Oh he’s not good enough’. But then all of a sudden they do alright at another club.
(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
(Image: Christian Liewig/Getty Images)
“Obviously there was the situation with Sancho and Ten Hag. But the he’s also a very good player – he showed the first time he was at Dortmund. It’s just a different kettle of fish when you’re at a club like United.
“He needed to go and play football. But now he’s getting that confidence back and looks like a completely different player.”