Marcus Rashford may have been better off on the bench for Manchester United after returning from injury to play against Newcastle.

Marcus-Rashford-man-united-premier-league
Journalist Samuel Luckhurst slammed Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford for his “ineffectual” performance in the club’s recent defeat.

What is the latest with Marcus Rashford and Manchester United?
On Sunday afternoon, the Red Devils faced Newcastle United in the Premier League, with both teams vying for a place in the Champions League.

Man United’s ambitions were dashed, however, when they were defeated 2-0 at St James’ Park, dropping them to fourth place while their opponents jumped ahead of them on goal difference.

After a hard-fought first half, Joe Willock broke the deadlock after 65 minutes, and Callum Wilson sealed the deserved win with a header late on.

From the Red Devils’ perspective, it was clearly a bad day for everyone, but it appears that one man stood out for Luckhurst.

Rashford received a 3/10 in his player ratings for the Manchester Evening News.

“Struggled to get going so much that he swapped wings with Antony and had no joy against the more cumbersome [Dan] Burn,” he wrote. Ineffectual.”

Is Marcus Rashford available?
Journalist Michael Plant of the Manchester World seemed to agree, awarding Rashford a 2/10 for his performance.

“Another who failed to have much of an impact on the game,” read his player rating. Rashford did not get enough touches and was ineffective when in possession.”

Soccer Football – Europa League – Play-Off Second Leg – Manchester United v FC Barcelona – Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom – February 23, 2023 Marcus Rashford of Manchester United reacts REUTERS/Carl Recine
When you look at the player’s stats on SofaScore, you’ll notice that his 6.1 score was the lowest on the field for either team.

Furthermore, he lost the ball 10 times, won 0/4 duels, completed 74% of his passes, did not have a single shot at goal (on or off target), failed two dribble attempts, and had only 29 touches in 90 minutes.

To put that in context, even Wout Weghorst managed one shot on goal (albeit off target), and Anthony completed two dribbles and won five duels.

To be fair, Rashford, who earns £200,000 per week, had withdrawn from the England squad during the international break, and he was an injury doubt going into this game.

On the evidence of his most recent performance, it’s probably safe to assume he wasn’t 100% (much like his passing), but his manager wouldn’t have played him if he wasn’t ready to make an impact, so there’s really no excuse for him to be as bad as he was.