I doubt he'd refer to Beckham's similar lifestyle as a rapper lifestyle without being prompted to but Rashford and Sancho? Absolutely. Hmm.
Rashford | Villa | Loan with option to buy
- Thread starter golden_blunder
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Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
It stopped working under Solskjaer when Ronaldo was brought in to become the focal point inside the box - thus blocking Rashford's favourite diagonal run in-behind -, and Shaw (a FB who can play a supporting role by covering the whole length of the pitch) wasn't fit to play 30 league games. In ETH's case, teams basically wised up to the only route we had available for scoring goals (plus Shaw, again). There was a similar debate, previously, when Mourinho signed Lukaku to lead the attack and Rashford's numbers hadn't blossomed as most thought they should have, and we had endless discussions about where he should play (back then, most people believed he should be a striker). You can lay it all the blame at the managers' feet for all i care. As i mentioned, he's a player that demands a specific role, specific accommodations and constant adjustment of the tactics. If you believe he's worth all that, fine by me.
I'm not comparing Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford. I assume that is pretty obvious.
I like Rashford, I always thought he'd end up breaking Rooney's record. I just fail to see how he's fallen out with the manager so badly.
Amorim said it was a matter of "he doesn't see football like I do"...I just don't understand what that could possibly mean other than “I’m not fecking running back, you Portuguese cnut”
If he could come back and run his bollocks off, he could be our number 9
Amorim said it was a matter of "he doesn't see football like I do"...I just don't understand what that could possibly mean other than “I’m not fecking running back, you Portuguese cnut”
If he could come back and run his bollocks off, he could be our number 9
You're right, i tried to make myself more clear a few posts down when i mentioned that despite the fact that Rooney was such a great footballer, Ferguson never really wanted him to lead the line. United depending so much on a streaky player like Rashford to come up with the goods (and paying him accordingly) is another of the bad decisions we have made in the post-SAF era.
Speaking of bollocks, your auntie is as likely to have a pair as Rashford is to do what you’re hoping for. That ship has sailed.
Yeah, it was okay at times. When we had Cavani, MG, Bruno ect. Scoring.
Our biggest issue wasn't having Rashford in the team. It was treating him like the talisman to build the side around and rely on as our main option.
Even then I have some sympathy with the club as Rashford could definitely look like that guy for stretches of 3 or 4 months and it was quite easy to buy into.
You suppose wrong.
Absolutely. I think his career would have had an entirely different trajectory, if he had played under Ferguson. It certainly wouldn't have come to this, rather bitter, end.
When you say build the team around when did United ever do that? Seemed every window we bought players that where either players that should have been replacements or No9 that didn't work.
We played to his strengths as a transition team for years. Both Ole and Ten Hag set up in ways which primarily suited Rashford more than anyone.
I could still see Arsenal coming in for him. Havertz is on similar wages and hasnt really worked as the striker, nor does he do more defensively than Rashford. They still took Sterling on loan. So if they move Havertz or Trossard on and dont want Sterling back I could see them being interested. And I think he would do better for them than Havertz
I think theres also a chance Chelsea pay the £5 million not to sign Sancho and then switch to Rashford, or possibly sign both of them given the diminished fees. But I'm sure they'd have to sell several players like Felix, Nkunku and Mudryk
Villa made a lot selling Duran and got their money back on Diaby so I think they could afford him, but I'm not sure they'll choose to use a lot of it on his wages when they could buy new players. It would be interesting if Emery did believe in him that much and Villa signed him and not much else this summer.
I think theres also a chance Chelsea pay the £5 million not to sign Sancho and then switch to Rashford, or possibly sign both of them given the diminished fees. But I'm sure they'd have to sell several players like Felix, Nkunku and Mudryk
Villa made a lot selling Duran and got their money back on Diaby so I think they could afford him, but I'm not sure they'll choose to use a lot of it on his wages when they could buy new players. It would be interesting if Emery did believe in him that much and Villa signed him and not much else this summer.
We didn’t. We tried to buy centre forwards and other wingers to reach a similar level or better, and failed completely, spending colossal sums to do so. We also seemingly ignored what would work best with Rashford and kept buying CFs who don’t work well with him (Ronaldo and Hojlund). Had we tried to “build the team around him” we’d have gone for a Martial/Kane type player, comfortable with the ball into feet and dropping deeper.
Just to be clear, I wouldn’t have wanted the team to be built around him. However, he’s not some niche player who can only work with a very specific type of player - old Ronaldo and Hojlund are just absolutely outliers in terms of players who definitely don’t suit him (although I actually thought it was obvious he was really trying hard to make it work with Hojlund last season).
Here's a random group of forwards/wingers. He's decent, but not top draw and certainly not worth the huge wages we gave him. You'd expect him to standout more on the wages he's on. Given you young age he started playing senior football he probably doesn't have too much longer before his body completely breaks and his football regresses yet further.
Player | Goals | Assists | Total Mins | Min per G+A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Salah | 184 | 88 | 24,206 | 89.0 |
Son | 127 | 74 | 24,028 | 119.5 |
Foden | 61 | 28 | 11,418 | 128.3 |
Gakpo | 23 | 12 | 4,672 | 133.5 |
Mane | 111 | 40 | 20,675 | 136.9 |
Rashford | 89 | 53 | 20,122 | 141.7 |
Saka | 53 | 50 | 14,904 | 144.7 |
Barnes | 49 | 33 | 12,007 | 146.4 |
Diaz | 27 | 18 | 6,768 | 150.4 |
Mbeumo | 40 | 28 | 10,772 | 158.4 |
Martinelli | 39 | 20 | 9,905 | 167.9 |
Bowen | 52 | 40 | 15,476 | 168.2 |
Johnson | 24 | 19 | 7,270 | 169.1 |
Elanga | 14 | 21 | 6,285 | 179.6 |
Gordon | 25 | 24 | 9,487 | 193.6 |
Neto | 15 | 26 | 8,271 | 201.7 |
Garnacho | 15 | 9 | 5,114 | 213.1 |
Sarr | 17 | 11 | 6,294 | 224.8 |
Iwobi | 31 | 36 | 19,465 | 290.5 |
Bet he wouldn't swap blue half for red half
I feel like Havertz gets through quite a lot more work than Rashford does defensively.
Not really the entire team suited it. Which attackers game suffered from playing that way.
So we can conclude that a goal or assist every 120 or so minutes this season is actually pretty decent (appreciate these are league stats). Feels like that was hard work to prove something that would be blindingly obvious to most people.
Almost as blindingly obvious as you bending reality all out of shape to spin a season where a player has 6 league goals (3 assists) in 25 appearances as somehow on track for an impressive return overall.
The hypothetical 35 G+A that Marcus Rashford racked up in 2024/25 will only ever exist in your imagination.
As a reminder this was the initial post which you took issue with “he generally ticks along with a fairly steady supply of goals and assists - even this season he’s on a goal or assist every 120 minutes”. Note the use of the word “even” in there and the lack of use of the word “impressive”.
Ok, fair enough. I guess what bothered me most in that was use of the word “steady” because he’s been anything but steady these last several years. It’s the biggest disconnect between the player he is and the player we expected/needed IMO.
Antony, Sancho.
Two players that most would say are in the top 3 of our worse buys ever. The prem isn't suited for either of them regardless of the play style.
And they’ve also both looked better in a fast transition system, especially Sancho.
Yes, I think where we fundamentally disagree, on this specific point, is whether in his “good” seasons he tends to be consistent across a season (or at least any more inconsistent than most forwards).
As I previously stated, sooner or later, he's fallen out with every manager he's worked under.
You asked who, I answered.
Why would anyone have to suffer?
Debatable if Sancho's game suffered and Antony game suffered as soon as he signed the contract.
You said it primarily suited Rashford so that implies the other attackers didn't benefit or at least benefited less from the style of play Ole and Ten Hag used, no?
No it just clearly played literally perfectly to his strengths. Does that style of football suit what Rashford excels at more than Martial, Greenwood, Cavani, Sancho, Ronaldo, Antony?
Obviously. Doesn't mean any of them suffered heinously.
The effect on any of them wasn't the issue. The issue was that we should have kept trying to find a striker or attacker who can score 20 - 25 goals per season consistently and Rashford could have been a player who could have hot streaks and chip in. Instead we kept imagining he would find that consistency as the main man and paid him as such.
Yes Sancho’s form with Chelsea has been excellent
The biggest issue with Rashford is that he’s got quite a large nose. With VAR the way it is, it is only a matter of time until an important goal is ruled out because a nostril has strayed beyond the last defender. I think Villa knew this and used it to their advantage in negotiations.
Yes Sancho’s form with Chelsea has been excellent
I must have missed where I suggested it was, unless you are saying Chelsea play a fast-paced transitional style?
You are talking about Sancho when he was decent 3/4 years ago in a rubbish league it’s think it’s time to let go of the past
Check Rashfords goal record the second half of Ole's last full season.
And how that season ended with his performance in the Europa final.
It was already going downhill before Ronaldo.
As a left winger/inside forward may be. Striker no chance. Trossard's contribution per 90 min has been great so Arteta may not see left winger as a high priority in summer. Havertz will stay, Jesus may be not if Arsenal sign a new striker. Sterling has been a disappointment, if not disaster this season. Anyway Rashford's team said he is not interested in London clubs.
Not really I knew you wouldn’t despite basically being the same
Does he have a club lined up already?
He said he isn't going back to Manchester United more or less and he doesn't want to go to London.
City and Liverpool aren't options. Everton can't afford him.
Who else is left? I'm not sure why he would give that interview and publicly limit his own options and bargaining power unless he knows where he's off to next.
He said he isn't going back to Manchester United more or less and he doesn't want to go to London.
City and Liverpool aren't options. Everton can't afford him.
Who else is left? I'm not sure why he would give that interview and publicly limit his own options and bargaining power unless he knows where he's off to next.
Heard the same thing about him at Villa, but thats where he's being picked a lot of the time. It as also where Amorim was using him right before deciding to get rid