‘He’s not a kid anymore… he’s a man’ – Paul Ince fires warning to Man Utd star who is struggling with confidence
Posted by  badge Boss on Jan 24
Marcus Rashford has flopped under boss Erik ten Hag this season (Picture: Getty)

Paul Ince has warned struggling star that will not be a starter for at unless he makes improvements.

Rashford has earned 59 caps for the Three Lions so far since making his debut in 2016, registering 17 goals in that time for his country.

The 26-year-old represented England at Euro 2016 and was picked by Gareth Southgate for the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

Rashford has largely struggled at club level this term, though, producing just four goals across 20 top-flight games, which could harm his playing time for England.

It is a major drop-off from last season when Rashford registered 17 goals in 35 Premier League matches.

‘Last year, Marcus Rashford would have been a no brainer to start for England in Germany, but I’m not sure what’s happened to him this season,’ Ince told .

‘He was absolutely flying this time last year and that coincided with Manchester United getting into two cup finals and the top four.

Marcus Rashford has largely struggled at club level this term (Picture: Getty)

‘The team was playing well too – he was getting chances as a result and putting them away.

‘This year the side has been a lot more inconsistent and Alejandro Garnacho has come in and done a really good job on the left hand side, which is Rashford’s favourite position.

‘There’s probably a lack of confidence at times too – which every player can go through, I went through it a lot – but he’s got to get back to his best.

Gareth Southgate has picked the forward for three major tournaments (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s not just about the goals, people think just because he scored against Tottenham that he’s back to his best, but it’s more about his all-round game. It’s about performing week in, week out.

‘Hopefully his performance in the Spurs game will give him a bit of confidence, because would he start for England in the Euros based on current form? Probably not.

‘I hope he does, but I don’t think he will, because you’ve got the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish who can come in and put in a good shift ahead of him.

‘He’s not a kid anymore – he’s a man and he needs to go through these stages to become a better player.

‘I hope that goal against Spurs will give him a little lift so he can go on a little run and get his confidence back.

‘Unless his form picks up, I don’t think he will be starting for England.’