Can Marcus Rashford Attract the Top Clubs in Europe Amid Transfer Speculation?

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Marcus Rashford is one of the biggest names in the Manchester United squad yet we must go back to the 7th of December to find the last time he played for the club in the Premier League.

Rashford featured for only 31 minutes in that game and he has since missed matches against Manchester City, Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Liverpool. Rashford did feature on the bench in the loss to Newcastle United but was an unused substitute.

Following the arrival of Amorim at Old Trafford, Rashford has started only one match and that was against Everton in the Premier League. The England international scored 2 goals in that game but it clearly was not enough for Amorim to keep Rashford in the matchday squad.

Statistics show that having started 12 times in the Premier League this season, Rashford has scored 4 goals and registered just one assist. Last season in the Premier League, Rashford started 26 games and scored 7 goals, creating 2 goals for his teammates. That is not the attacking form of a player who could attract the attention of the biggest clubs in Europe.

However, the stats do show Rashford can score goals and he has registered 17 goals in two different seasons for Manchester United in the Premier League. He has reached double figures in the Premier League four times during his career and had 9 assists in the 2020/21 campaign, his highest number of assists in a single season.

Statistical analysis shows Rashford has scored 87 goals in 287 appearances for Manchester United in the Premier League. That gives Rashford an average of 0.30 goals per game but how does that compare to other leading forward players?

Mohamed Salah averages 0.63 goals per games, Heung-min Son averages 0.39 goals per game, Raheem Sterling averages 0.32 goals per games, Sadio Mane averaged 0.42 goals per game, and Cristiano Ronaldo averaged 0.44 goals per game in the Premier League.

These are all players who mostly played from a wide position and are not strikers, yet they all have a superior goal per game average than Rashford in the Premier League.

Having been dropped from the squad by Amorim for the Manchester derby, the Portuguese manager explained why Rashford was not involved, saying: “The performance in training, the way you eat, the way you push your team-mates - everything is important at the beginning of something. When people in your club are losing their jobs, we have to put the standards really high."

Rashford has been criticised for his work ethic on the pitch and some fans have also questioned is off-pitch behaviour, including a trip to the United States in November.

Any team wanting to sign Rashford will also have to consider his contract situation. He is one of the highest earners at Manchester United and his contract runs until 2028. So, it is not as if a club can sign Rashford on a free and use the money saved for his wages.

There are few clubs in Europe who can afford Rashford’s salary and want a wide attacking player. Paris Saint-Germain are perhaps the only team who could make a realistic offer but other than the French giants, that leaves Saudi Pro League.

Rashford is 27 and should be entering his prime as a footballer. However, his recent stats and the claims about his behaviour suggests Rashford is a player who is far from his best and could be a risk for any team who signs him.