Super Agent Rob Segal has reacted to rumours linking Manchester United star Marcus Rashford to rivals Liverpool.
Rashford has been linked with a move away from his boyhood club, after a run of inconsistency at Old Trafford. After becoming a fan favourite at the club when he burst onto the scene at 18-years-old, a string of poor performances has left him short of confidence and not looking like the player he once was.
Speaking exclusively to Caught Offside, Rob Segal has reacted to the rumours linking him to Liverpool. “As for the recent links to Liverpool… Never in a million years,” said Segal.
Segal has been in the game long enough to understand the ins and outs of footballing transfers. When a club like Manchester United is going through a spell of failure, the last thing they should be doing is selling an academy graduate to one of their biggest Premier League rivals.
The disconnect between the fans and the club is apparent, with fans disappointed at the lack of success over recent years. Selling Rashford may be best for all parties, but selling him to strengthen the team they have a significant hatred for, is only going to create further unrest.
“The reality is that Rashford has not played well for the last two years and when it comes to the prospect of potentially being handed a new deal at United, given the financial state of football at the moment, clubs are not looking to hand players four or five-year deals when they still have 18-months or two years left on their existing terms,” Segal adds.
Even a club the size of Manchester United would have been hurt financially by the pandemic over the last few years. Every player has a price, and if they can bring in a sizeable fee for him, he could well be out the door.
With Rashford’s contract expiring in June 2023, United have to decide whether to cash in on the 24-year-old, or risk him being released on a free transfer.
Although his value may be decreasing with every poor performance, clubs understand the talent the England international possesses, and a move away from Manchester could reignite the fire in him.
Rashford has been linked with a move to Barcelona recently and a move abroad might be the best thing to happen to him. Without the pressure of the English media, Rashford could play his game with a little more freedom.
“I wonder if Rashford got too wrapped up, too quickly in all the OBEs and the off-field ambassador roles. In my opinion, he should have mainly concentrated on the football side of things,” Segal says, further commenting on Rashford’s struggles.
Often, poor performances of his get linked back to his off-field work. The Manchester United academy product does an enormous amount of work to benefit those less fortunate, but it frequently gets held against him, with fans and media insisting he should concentrate on his football.
Whether this is right or wrong is difficult to tell, but there is no hiding from the fact his performances have dropped over recent years.
A move to Barcelona could revive his career, and we may start to see the Marcus Rashford that became a hero at Old Trafford.