“It looks like football is not his main priority” - Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink slams Manchester United star amidst Red Devils recent struggles
Former Premier League forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has launched a scathing criticism of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford. Hasselbaink suggested that it seemed like Rashford was no longer passionate about the game.
Marcus Rashford’s form at Manchester United has declined since his 30-goal season in Erik ten Hag’s first year at the club. Consequently, he was not called up by Gareth Southgate for the Euro 2024 campaign in Germany, as England made it to the final, where they lost to Spain (2-1).
Meanwhile, Hasselbaink, who was part of the Three Lions coaching team at the Euros, claimed that Rashford was not getting enough playing time due to his bad body language and work rate.
Hasselbaink told Genting Casino (via Mirror);
“When you look at Marcus Rashford and you look at his body language - and I’m not saying this is true - but it looks like football is not his main priority. Do we know if Rashford can play football? Yes. Hell, yes. When he’s playing off the left and he’s playing his best football, he’s a very, very good player.
"He’s a top player. When he was at his top level, he used to sprint so much and run in behind the defence. He used to work so hard running at defenders. That’s when Marcus is at his best … and I just don’t see that anymore.”
The former Chelsea striker also said that Rashford was no longer as focused as he used to be and was lackadaisical in his footballing duties.
“For a player like Rashford, when one of your main attributes is that explosive pace, you have to suffer for your art. You have to be prepared to give everything to work as hard with and without the ball, and that means, you need to feel a little bit of pain because it takes a lot of physical power to ask your body to do that in every single game. I don’t see a player that is willing to push himself like he used to,” he added.
Hasselbaink also defended manager Erik ten Hag’s decision to not play Rashford in every match, saying only the latter has the key to unlocking his potential.
Manchester United legend slams Ten Hag’s decision to bench Marcus Rashford against Crystal Palace
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes was critical of Erik ten Hag’s decision to bench Marcus Rashford in their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. Manchester United travelled to Selhurst Park on Saturday (September 21).
Rashford didn’t make it to the starting XI as Joshua Zirkzee was used in his stead. Notably, the England international had scored three goals in his previous two appearances for the Red Devils.
The lineup, thus, did not sit well with Scholes, who thought the 26-year-old should have been included in the starting lineup despite his dip in form. He said (via GOAL);
"United are struggling forward wise, aren't they? They're struggling for goals this year, they've scored five goals, three of them were against Southampton. That tells you that the forwards maybe just aren't good enough.
"Leaving Rashford out on Saturday was... he's been up to something, hasn't he? Come on. He's not scored in such a long time, and all of a sudden he scores three goals in two games and he's not playing? He [Ten Hag] said it was rotation...come on, do me a favour."
Manchester United will next be in action against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (September 29).