Rio Ferdinand believes Marcus Rashford may have to leave Manchester United to reignite his career.
Rashford’s form has dipped this season in an inconsistent United side, scoring just eight goals in 36 appearances.
The 26-year-old’s off-field lifestyle has also come under the spotlight after he went to a party following October’s derby defeat by Manchester City and reportedly spent an evening at a Belfast nightclub in January before missing the following day’s training due to illness.
Former United defender Ferdinand feels Rashford, whose place in the England squad for Euro 2024 this summer could be in jeopardy, needs to look at the people he surrounds himself with and possibly make a fresh start elsewhere.
“I think it’s a pivotal moment in his career now, he’s not a kid anymore,” Ferdinand told Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast.
“I think there’s a big decision to make, from him. He’s got to look at who’s around him, who are the external people? Are they the right people?
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“Are they enabling him to make excuses for himself behind closed doors? Or are they saying ‘look at yourself and be accountable for what you are doing’?
“He needs to look at that and own that and make big decisions.
“When I left West Ham (for Leeds) I could have gone to Chelsea, that’s probably a club I would have preferred to go to at the time. But the reason I went to Leeds was it was out of London and the external people around me, I needed to get away from.
“He might need to go ‘you know what, I’ll get rid of them and stay in Manchester, or I’ve got leave Manchester and get rid of those people’.”
Former United captain Roy Keane suggested a more old-school approach to get Rashford firing again.
He said: “We make excuses for him. There’s a structure, a team around him. There’s no question mark about his ability but there’s something amiss with him.
“A player can have an off spell, or a dip, but he’s certainly not enjoying his football.
“The people around him, family, the manager, who’s on his case every day? There’s nothing wrong with the old fashioned kick up the a*** and going ‘come on, we need more from you’.
“I don’t think there’s anybody on his case. But that doesn’t mean he can’t produce and start running a bit more.”
