Alan Shearer has accused Marcus Rashford of playing his football this season like it is a ‘chore’, with the forward struggling for Manchester United.
Rashford, 24, has endured a poor campaign at Old Trafford, having scored just three goals across all competitions, and also delivered a poor showing against Aston Villa.
Speaking at half-time during the FA Cup tie, BBC Sport pundit Shearer says he saw glimpses of improvement from the winger, but believes he is not ‘enjoying’ playing.
Marcus Rashford has been accused of playing his football like it is a ‘chore’ by Alan Shearer
‘It’s a little bit better, I think, in that first half,’ Shearer said. ‘I get that he’s had injuries, I get that he’s struggling with a little bit of confidence, amazing work off the pitch.
‘But certainly a lot of the times this season, it looks as if everything is a chore. It looks like hard work for him. He doesn’t seem to be enjoying his football as much.
‘I get that. It’s a learning curve, you learn how to get over that.
Speaking live on the BBC, Shearer believes Rashford is now struggling to enjoy his football
Rashford is enduring a poor season at United, having scored three goals in all competitions
‘There has been one or two more encouraging signs in that first half.
‘Certainly, he posed lots of questions early on when he was down that left-hand side. I said about the lack of width before the game.
‘That hasn’t been the case, he’s done well down that side. And then he’s switched to the right-hand side. So, a little bit better from him tonight.’
At the weekend, Rashford was forced to publicly rubbish reports claiming he is unhappy at United, and insisted his loyalty must ‘never be in question’.
Shearer believes Rashford has shown signs of improvement despite his lack of impact this year
After the limp 1-0 defeat by Wolves, it was claimed that a host of players are keen to quit the club – although academy graduate Rashford said he is not one of them.
On social media, he posted: ‘We’ve all been disappointed with recent performances and we’ve been as disappointed with the news coverage questioning our commitment to not only the manager and the coaching staff but the club.
‘I have endless respect for both and I’m looking forward to bettering my game under the staff at Manchester United.’
At the weekend, Rashford was forced to insist that he remains fully committed at Old Trafford
In a statement, Rashford said his loyalty to his boyhood club ‘should never be in question’
His statement then continued defiantly, with Rashford claiming he plans to do his talking on the pitch and playing down suggestions he is ‘sulking’.
‘I’m not sulking, I’m not unhappy, am I disappointed in some of my recent performances? Of course I am. I’m my own biggest critic,’ he added.
‘It’s been a tough start but I’m determined to prove my worth. My dedication and my desire to be here should never be in question. I love this club.’
