Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has failed to make the cut in the 2023 Ballon d’Or nominations, sparking criticism from the club’s fans.
The 25-year-old was in sensational form for the Red Devils last season, bagging 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances across all competitions.
Rashford scored 17 times and assisted five in the Premier League, firing Erik ten Hag’s side to a third-place finish in the manager’s inaugural campaign.
He also notched six goals and two assists in nine Europa League outings, although Man United failed to get past the quarter-final stage of the tournament.
The England international featured six times in the League Cup and rippled the net six times, firing the Red Devils to the trophy – their first in six years.
Rashford took his exceptional form to the international scene, starring for England at the 2022 World Cup tournament and scored three times despite starting in just one of his five appearances.
His tally for Man United last term was a personal record since graduating through the club’s youth ranks, but his performances were not enough to earn a spot in the exclusive 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Meanwhile, summer signing Rasmus Hojlund made his way into the ten-man nominees for the Kopa Trophy.
The 20-year-old enjoyed an exceptional breakout campaign at Atalanta last season before sealing his £64 million move to the Theatre of Dreams over the summer.
He scored nine times and assisted four goals in 32 Serie A outings before netting six times in four European Championship qualification games for his country, Denmark.
Man United legend Cristiano Ronaldo failed to receive a nomination for the 2023 awards, ending a remarkable 20-year run in the trophy’s history.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner endured an underwhelming 2022/23 campaign, while his move to the Saudi Pro League was shrouded in controversy following a dramatic exit from Old Trafford.
He also failed to make any significant impact during the World Cup tournament with Portugal, culminating in his omission from the Ballon d’Or rankings for the first time in two decades.
