Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen has stated on Premier League Productions that Rashford's struggles since returning to Old Trafford have made him the "weak link" in Manchester United's attack.

Owen told Premier League Productions: "On the left wing, Rashford is probably the quietest of these attackers. Today, his body language was still downbeat, and his expression very frustrated. He doesn't seem to be enjoying football, which is a long-standing issue for Rashford.

"It looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, and you wonder why? He's living a life that everyone dreams of. There must be something off the pitch that's preventing him from enjoying football right now."

Rashford featured in 25 appearances, scoring 14 goals, during his brief but impressive loan at Barcelona. However, the confidence he gained in Catalonia appears to have quickly faded.

Owen added: "Barcelona was his last chance. I can't believe he had such an opportunity to join Barcelona.

"He played reasonably well there, but not well enough for Barcelona to keep him, and ultimately Barcelona spent a huge sum to bring in Anthony Gordon as his replacement. So it wasn't perfect. No matter how the outside world portrayed it, it wasn't all rosy.

"Then he returned to Manchester United. He's playing okay, but just okay. He needs to do better in the attacking trio because his position is currently the most expendable in the attack.

"There's a lot of talk now about Sesko coming back into the starting lineup after recovering from his injury, assuming he can stay healthy, of course. If that happens, Cunha will move to the left wing, and the way things stand, Rashford will become the weak link in that attacking line."

Despite Owen's disappointment with Rashford's start to the season, he still believes that as long as Rashford adjusts his mentality, he can rediscover his form at Manchester United.

Owen continued: "Rashford lacks nothing. He's tall, an excellent athlete, with incredible first touch and technique, and he's very quick.

"He has everything a player needs, which also shows that without the right mentality, that's the biggest problem in football. If you're talented enough, you can go far in this sport, and he has all the tools.

"When he's confident, happy, and everything's going well, he can absolutely be a world-class player. But he rarely gets his mentality in the right place.

"He's 28 now—he should be at his peak, tearing defenses apart and scoring plenty of goals. We should be discussing records he could break. He has that ability and has shown it at times, but he's never been able to perform consistently."

It remains unclear when Rashford will return from the hip injury he suffered at Craven Cottage. However, he will miss England's Nations League matches against Spain, Czech Republic, and Croatia over the next three weeks.

Traduit par IA.

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