“He’s not proved it enough” - Rio Ferdinand insists Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford isn’t ‘world-class’, sends stern message to forward
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has slammed Marcus Rashford amid the latter's poor run of form, claiming that the winger is not world-class.
The England international has failed to replicate the brilliance of last season when he bagged 30 goals from 56 appearances for the Red Devils. Poor performances this campaign has seen Rashford find the net just twice in 20 appearances, one of which came from the penalty spot.
Moreover, the 26-year-old attacker has lost his left-wing spot to youngster Alejandro Garnacho. He was dropped to the bench for Manchester United's league defeats to Chelsea (2-1, December 6) and Bournemouth (3-0, December 9).
When asked if Rashford is world-class, Ferdinand told talkSPORT (via TeamTalk):
"No, he’s not. He has world-class potential, but he’s not a world-class player. He’s not proved it enough. To be world-class you get to a level and you sustain it over a period of time but at the moment he comes in flurries.
“He has moments where he takes your breath away and does things that not many people on the planet can do and is great.”
The former Red Devils defender added:
"I still catch myself and have to remind myself ‘he’s not a young kid anymore’, he’s an experienced player in that changing room who is looked at as a leader."
After coming up the ranks with his current employers, Rashford has made 379 senior appearances, bagging 125 goals and 72 assists across all competitions. He's won the FA Cup and Europa League once each, among other honors at Old Trafford.
Jamal Musiala sends message to Manchester United ahead of Champions League clash
Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala has warned Manchester United ahead of their Champions League meeting on Tuesday (December 12). The Bavarian outfit are looking to bounce back after suffering a humiliating 5-1 loss at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday (December 9).
Meanwhile, the Red Devils need to win their last group match against Bayern Munich to stand a chance of qualifying for the knockouts. Only if Erik ten Hag's men secure a victory and Galatasaray play out a draw with Copenhagen will the Red Devils qualify.
However, Musiala and Co. will look to restore their confidence and end a two-game run without a win. The Germany international said ahead of his club's meeting with the Manchester outfit (via ESPN):
"That defeat against Frankfurt, it surprised us, but we are going to look ahead and this presents us with a good opportunity to get our confidence back.
"We want to keep our unbeaten streak in the Champions League group stages and want to keep our rhythm going into the winter break, so it's a very important game for us. We will go out and try to win."
The Bundesliga giants have already secured qualification into the next stage of the Champions League. They're on top of Group A, with 13 points, nine ahead of last-placed Manchester United.