Though Marcus Rashford is far from Old Trafford, he can’t ignore the same reactionary patterns that have plagued Manchester United for years.
Speaking from Barcelona, where he’s on loan for the season, the England forward offered a candid diagnosis of the club’s malaise, painting a picture of a side that has lost the principles once instilled under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Since his debut in 2016, Rashford has played under seven permanent managers — none of whom lasted three full seasons. The club has spent over £1.5bn on transfers in the post-Ferguson era, but rarely with the kind of joined-up thinking Rashford says is needed.
The 27-year-old’s summer move to Barcelona followed a difficult 2024/25 campaign under Amorim, when he was left on the fringes and spent half the season on loan at Aston Villa.
What does Rashford believe needs to change?
“The loan was bittersweet,” he admits — a chance for regular football but also a step away from the team he grew up supporting.
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From a distance, the patterns became clearer. “Show me a successful team that just adapts,” he told The Rest is Football podcast.
“We’re hungry to win, so we try to adapt and sign players that fit this system. But it’s reactionary.”
Rashford contrasts United with Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp, where patience, clear philosophy, and buy-in across the club brought trophies after a few years of groundwork.
“They stuck with him. That’s what we’ve never done," he said in regards to the German manager.
For Rashford, the solution is blunt: pick a philosophy, appoint a manager who fits it, and give them time.
Whether United will finally embrace that advice remains uncertain — as does his own future, with a loan spell that leaves him watching from afar.
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