Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United ace Marcus Rashford faces England national team axe with 2022 FIFA World Cup place in doubt
According to ESPN, Manchester United ace, Marcus Rashford is set to miss out on a call-up to the England national team later this month due to his poor form in front of goals for his club this season.
The Englishman has looked well off the mark this term at United, with his form and confidence suffering a massive dip. The same player who ran at defenders with his quick feet seems to have been replaced by a forward who struggles to get past his man.
His current form in the Premier League means he is likely to face a battle to earn a place in the national team’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, which takes place towards the end of the year. Limited appearance for the Red Devils have done him no favours as well in convincing Gareth Southgate to pick him.
Since the UEFA Euros which was held last summer, Rashford has missed games for club and country due to a shoulder surgery, which saw him ruled out of action for a while last year. The academy star has only started just one England game since October 2020.
Down the pecking order
England boss Southgate has a strict stance of picking players who perform regularly for their clubs. Given this, Rashford’s chances of making it to the latest England squad for the Switzerland-Ivory Coast doubleheader next week seem low. The United star has started just 2 of the club’s last 11 games in all competitions.
The England manager has a number of in-form attacking players to choose from for the national team’s games in the coming weeks. Rashford, unfortunately, has fallen down the pecking order behind Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka ahead of him based on this season’s performances.
Rashford seems to be having the worst season of his career yet with United, barely getting a sniff for the first team. Even when he has been on the field, the player looks low on confidence and unable to perform to the level we all expect him to be at.
Such is the poor form that he is also considering a shock exit from the Manchester side in the near future as he is said to not be happy about getting chances to shine at his boyhood club. Last weekend saw him snubbed by the manager for the Manchester derby, despite having no fit senior strikers in the team.
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Even at club level, he seems to have fallen down the pecking order as Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga seem to be the first choice out on the wings. To make things worse, Sancho may be named for England’s upcoming games due to the brilliant form he has been in of late.
Once a key player for England and Manchester United, the player seems to be unable to break into the lineup of both teams due to his recent form. The talent is no doubt there, as we have all born witness to his skills before, but the star is missing that spark that United fans all loved about him. Hopefully, we see the Englishman back to his best soon.
