Sad. That is the one word I would use when I see Marcus Rashford leave Manchester United, even if it is on loan to Aston Villa.
Sad it has come to this for someone who Jose Mourinho once described as the head of the talent at the club. Sad that another hugely talented academy graduate, who should be the leading light for young players, leaves United in less-than-ideal circumstances, the one who came closest to hitting the levels of past greats, with goals and world-class performances. Barcelona showed interest in Rashford because they saw what he did to them in two games in 2023.
Rashford, Brandon Williams, Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood, Ravel Morrison, Jesse Lingard. The situations relating to all are very different and the instability at United did not help any, yet all were talented enough to play far more for United than they did. If they were not local boys then they spent their formative years in Manchester, but that can be a blessing and a curse.
Two former United players who, like all sources in this article, were granted anonymity to speak freely because of the sensitivity of this subject matter, told me about a recent discussion they had.
They were speaking about the current squad and not in a tiresome ‘everything was better in my day way’ (even though it probably was) and made a couple of observations.
“We had really strong senior pros in our dressing room to keep us in line,” said one.
“Players like Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce. They set the tone, told us what was and what wasn’t acceptable. They knew who was who around Manchester, who and where to avoid. Where are those leaders now?”
“Above them, you had the Gaffer (Sir Alex Ferguson) who knew even more,” said another. “You behaved.”
The world has changed, and players’ habits too. The heavy drinking of the 1980s United culture has long gone, but there are no senior players who have that level of control in the United dressing room — which is a complex one. You cannot expect Bruno Fernandes, the team’s best player and the one who displayed leadership skills before he became captain, to know what’s what in Manchester. He is from Portugal and it is way beyond his remit, and he does not have a coterie of senior, long-established United pros around him to set standards and keep feet on the ground.
They would help young players since you need to be mentally strong to deal with all that comes with playing for Manchester United — and if you’re a Manchester lad, it’s even more intense. If you’re from Sheffield or Spain, you can go back there to see your mates and let your hair down. If you’re from Manchester, then your mates are where you grew up. Even there, you’re being judged. Or, as Manchester’s Noel Gallagher once put it, “If I got back to my local pub and buy everyone a drink, I’m a flash b******. And if I don’t, I’m a tight b******.” Where is the room for manoeuvre there? Manchester’s Morrissey once sang, “We hate it when our friends become successful — and if they’re northern that makes things even worse.” He spoke from experience.
If Rashford is single, as has been reported, how does he meet a new partner in “normal” circumstances? Who can he trust? And who helps and advises him?
Being a local boy can be a blessing and a curse for United players (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
One former senior United player who The Athletic spoke to had come through the academy and had his time as de-facto dressing room leader. He once listened as a young player regaled his exploits at the weekend. “How many of those people you went out with did you know before you signed pro with United?” said the senior player. The answer was none. That player has big regrets about his time at United.
Which senior players know Manchester now? United’s non-playing staff are stocked with well-intentioned and talented football people, but most are not from the city, nor do they know the city. And they have not been famous in their hometown — and fame can hit quick in football, your life can change in weeks, as it did for Rashford in 2015.
Another from further back, former goalkeeper Gary Bailey, once told me how your world changes.
“We walked into one pub and the lads were chanting United songs. Some City fans were in there and they recognised me, especially after the United fans — my mates — started bowing in front of me. It was all extreme, but fun. Then the City fans were calling me a pimply s*** and saying, ‘Who does he think he is?’ Suddenly a fight started. United got stuck into the City fans and, brave as a lion, I sneaked out and left.”
Manager Dave Sexton heard of the incident and called Bailey in the following Monday morning. “He accused me of wrecking a pub in Didsbury and he was angry,” said Bailey. “The owner of the pub had called claiming that I had started a riot and asked United to pay for the damages. Dave said: ‘Here’s the deal. You’re wearing jeans and denims but you’re a Manchester United player now. Do you know what that means in this city?’ I told him that I was a normal guy who wanted to dress normally, but he gave me a load of cash and told me to go to kit myself out with new clothes. And he gave me £6,500 to buy a car — which was an awful lot of money then. So much that I thought he was joking.”
Bailey survived and flourished, others did too. The Class of ’92 players had the senior pros, Ferguson and each other. Wes Brown was a Manchester lad who continued to get a bus to training. Two City fans recognised him on a bus, abused him and a fight ensued. Ferguson heard about it, and sought out Brown, who told him he could not afford taxis or a car. Ferguson sympathised and Brown got a new contract and enough money to buy a car.
A change could be good for Rashford since he has long exhausted the patience of many United fans. Players will always be judged not only by how they play, but also how their team plays. United have underperformed compared to expectations in Rashford’s time at the club. That’s hardly all on him, but it doesn’t help.
Other factors have gone against him. Manchester’s grapevine is a strong one. You form opinions on players by all you hear and see, but what if they’re not in a winning team?
United cannot really control what their players do in their free time. But in Ferguson’s time, he guarded, warned and corralled his players. He told them who not to knock around with, who to have as an agent and to get married.
Many of Ferguson’s squad in his later years were homespun and socialised at each other’s houses, playing poker for low stakes over a Chinese meal. They were settled rather than single. They were rarely socialising in Manchester where there is risk everywhere.
If you’re a Manc then that means more requests for tickets and signed shirts, more people claiming they knew you from back then. There are big-name Manchester music bands who reckon playing in their own city can be pain — since it seems like the whole city wants to be on the guest list. “Because my sister’s mate used to be mates with a lad who cleaned your neighbour’s windows, right?”
And while Manchester sits at the heart of the UK’s second biggest conurbation of 2.8 million, it can still feel like a village socially as opposed to London’s 20 villages. And everyone has a phone in that village. It all adds to more pressure, more instant judgements, more demands. And fans are harder on their own. They just are. They expect locals to know what is expected and to deliver on the pitch.
Rashford in training last month (Carl Recine/Getty Images)
There’s also a reason most Liverpool and Everton players live in south Manchester and not south Liverpool — it gives them distance from those who pay their wages — not that they’re regulars on Manchester’s social scene. Rashford does not have that, but a lot of footballers live around Manchester.
A few years ago, an agent called me. Two of his players had joined a Premier League team close to Manchester. He was worried about who they were socialising with and did not know the city. I spoke to both players, told them that some of the people they were attracting were not necessarily around because they had their best interests at heart. A family member saw them regularly and suggested, from time to time, that they were not always making the best choices. They both stayed at the club and in the city, and had good careers.
A few weeks ago, I met a local Manchester lad who told me he used to be at United as a young player. I rolled my eyebrows; didn’t they all? I asked him who he played with and he gave me the names in his year group. One is still at United.
“If I send the player a picture of you, will he know you?” I asked, half calling his bluff.
“Try,” he replied.
The response came back the following morning.
“No way,” said the player. “He’s a top man. Really looked after me when I came over (to play for United).” Who has looked after Rashford? Every manager has tried to get the best out of him, but there’s so much more to life than football training.
Rashford is human, he is not without fault. His vast wages do not represent good value for his output and there is a cautionary tale of too much too soon that can apply to any young elite footballer — though he also used that fame to good measure in a campaign for free school meals. He has not always helped himself; he has had plenty of support from United, but he is not the only one culpable here.
(Top photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images))
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