"Ahead of Marcus Rashford now" - Paul Robinson claims Manchester United player has put England star in a tough spot
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has claimed that Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga has put Marcus Rashford in a difficult position.
The 42-year-old believes that Rashford finds himself in 'a position he doesn’t want to be in' due to the emergence of Elanga from the youth ranks.
The former England and Spurs goalkeeper has heaped praise on the Swedish attacker, who has established himself ahead of Rashford in the pecking order.
Robinson told Football Insider,
“It’s been a very stop-start season for Rashford. He has not had the opportunity to get going at all. He is in a position he doesn’t want to be in. When he does get in the side he is trying too hard to impress. That is not working to him at the moment."
It has been a frustrating campaign for Rashford at Old Trafford as he has only managed to find the back of the net five times in 24 games across competitions.
Rashford finished at 24 https://t.co/15jS2ECFnJ
The England international missed the start of the season with a shoulder injury and has been unable to rediscover his best form under new manager Ralf Rangnick.
Meanwhile, Elanga has been a shining light for Manchester United during their underwhelming season.
The 19-year-old has done incredibly well when given an opportunity by Rangnick. The versatile attacker has scored three goals in 16 games across competitions.
Robinson has recognized the impact made by Elanga this season and believes that the 19-year-old is ahead of Rashford right now in the pecking order.
“Elanga has been amazing. I like what I have seen from him. In January, he could have been loaned out but he decided to stay," the 41-time capped former England international added. “The decision is paying dividends because he is ahead of Marcus Rashford now.”
Can Rashford turn it around at Manchester United?
Marcus Rashford has arguably been one of the best things to have happened to Manchester United in their post-Ferguson era.
Coming through the youth ranks of the club, the 24-year-old quickly became the posterboy of the club following his emergence from Carrington.
Rashford's game by numbers
29 minutes played
2 passes completed
25% Duel Completion
Possession lost 5 times
0/1 Crosses completed
The future is bright for Manchester United ⭐ https://t.co/kk5Ikzto7y
However, the forward seems to have lost his quality significantly in recent times and that could be due to a number of factors.
The 24-year-old has been a victim of his own versatility and that could be the reason why he has been struggling.
However, the England international still has plenty of time ahead of him and should work hard to turn things around at Old Trafford.