Former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan has sent strong advice to Marcus Rashford following his disappointing 2023/24 campaign.
Rashford had a brilliant 2022/23 season under manager Erik ten Hag where he scored 30 goals and provided 10 assists from 56 outings.
However, his performances drastically dipped last term. The Englishman managed only eight goals and five assists from 43 appearances.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Phelan said that translating performances from the training ground has been difficult for the United graduate.
He added that Rashford has ‘stood still’ and relied on certain strengths of his. Phelan believes the forward needs to find more for next season.
He said: “Translating (your performances) from the training ground to the pitch has been difficult for Marcus. He had a great season. (He went from) one of the best forwards in Europe to actually not finding his feet. It’s like what’s gone wrong?”
“A lot of things have probably crept into Marcus’ thinking. He is certainly a talented individual who needs to improve. You never stand still, and I think he has stood still and relied on certain strengths he’s got. He needs to find more.”
Rashford needs to step up for United next season
The 26-year-old had a tough 2021/22 season at United where he managed only seven goal contributions. He answered his critics with 40 goal involvements in 2022/23.
Rashford has gone through another blip in his career and needs to step up next term. He is more than capable of doing so, but has to find ways to improve his game.
At the moment, his playing style is quite predictable with his knack for cutting inside from the left flank. He has been less effective against opposition with low blocks.
This is where he has to work on during the summer. Rashford is fantastic on the counter-attack, but he also needs to make goal contributions from tight spaces.
The £51 million-rated star was recently excluded from England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad. It could be a good thing to clear up his thoughts ahead of pre-season.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
