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Originally Posted by Patty_b
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Some interesting bits from that article
This season is last chance saloon for Rashford
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But it is complicated and there are no easy answers. There were never any behavioural issues behind the scenes. Rangnick just could not understand how such a talented player kept his gifts so concealed. Time and again, Rashford would look good in training and take part in extra work and video sessions to analyse what was wanted from him. Then match day would arrive and Rangnick was left to suspect he could not get through to the player.
Rashford, it was concluded, did not seem to take on board instructions. For one game, the coaches had worked intensively on what they wanted him to do, in and out of possession. Rashford was a substitute and when he entered the play it quickly became clear he was not going to follow the plan. Again, it was a source of considerable frustration on the touchline. More than anything, it was just perplexing for Rangnick and his coaches.
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But perhaps the more relevant comments came from Steve McClaren after an FA Cup tie against Aston Villa in January. Rashford had played badly and the most baffling moment arrived late on when the ball rebounded towards him in the penalty area and, for reasons never properly explained, he completely left it.
“I hate that attitude in a player,” said McClaren, referring to the player’s standoffish performance. “Body language is so, so important… Rashford has probably had this problem throughout his career in terms of questioning his attitude.
“He’s got the talent and the ability. There’s that one cornerstone which we call mentality, attitude, which he hasn’t grasped yet.
“He gets deterred too easily and doesn’t fight through bad moments. He doesn’t stay in the game. If he’s not having a good game, he’s not having a good game. If he’s not having a good first half, he’ll never have a good second half. I just look at him and think that boy needs help, off the field and through the manager.”
McClaren is now part of Ten Hag’s coaching staff and will get the chance to see, close up, whether it is true Rashford lacks competitive courage. Yet it is a criticism that will polarise opinion, and jar with many, bearing in mind Rashford’s childhood, on the poverty line, and his devotion to making it as a footballer. Rashford is a United fan, emotionally invested in the club. He takes it hard — really hard — when he and the team do not play well. It matters.
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