Rio Ferdinand is probably just glad he hung up his boots long before the Manchester United ace made his breakthrough in senior football.
Because the prospect of going head-to-head with one of Erik ten Hag’s favourites on the Carrington turf is one that makes the 2008 Champions League winner’s hamstrings twinge, even just by thinking about it.
But the frustration, for Ferdinand, is that one of the most naturally-gifted footballers to ply his trade in Manchester United’s famous red shirt in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era simply does not display those game-breaking talents consistently enough.
A potentially world-class talent capable of 9/10 displays frequently turning in fives and fours.
Rio Ferdinand shares his Marcus Rashford fears
“When you’re the biggest star, the light shines brightest on you. And in moments where it’s not going well, you’re the guy that takes all of the punches. It’s unfortunate for him,” Ferdinand tells The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast of one Marcus Rashford, the much-maligned academy graduate who, in the eyes of some, has become a symbol of mediocrity at Old Trafford.
“He does show moments where he takes your breath away with some of things that he does. But he doesn’t do it enough. I don’t know if it’s the team, he hasn’t had a consistent team around him or the consistency of the managers being there.
“But you just look at the basics of his game. What’s he good at? He’s great at running in behind. As a defender, I wouldn’t want to play against him. He’d give me nightmares because he’s so quick, his timing his brilliant and he can finish as well.
“But either he doesn’t run in behind enough as he should, or he’s disillusioned (because) the ball isn’t coming.”
‘Takes your breath away’
Rashford, during a dazzling first season under Erik ten Hag, became the first Man United player since Robin van Persie a decade earlier to hit 30 goals in all competitions.
With just two months of the current campaign remaining, however, the England international’s tally has dropped to a measly eight, even the majority of those goals have come since Christmas including a dramatic equaliser in that 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final triumph over Liverpool.
But therein lies Ferdinand’s frustration. How can a player who is capable of producing moments of mind-bending quality – like the shot Rashford cannoned in off Ederson’s bar in the Manchester derby – also be capable of delivering performances like the one against Brentford on Saturday? Ineffective and lacking even a shred of intensity?
Only eight goals for Manchester United
Rashford remains one of the great enigmas of modern times at Manchester United. A living legend to some, and an emblem of inferiority in the eyes of others.
“You mentioned body language and I’ve thought about this a lot in the past few days,” Ferdinand’s former United team-mate Gary Neville argues.
“It was a topic of conversation after the game on Saturday night after the Brentford. Marcus Rashford, I don’t know how to say this, but to me, there’s something not right. He’s not right.
“It’s not just a case of he’s not playing football well. He doesn’t look happy. I’m looking at him thinking, I’m actually worried about him. I don’t know whether you watch him, you know when you watch a player and think actually there’s something there.”
“We know there’s been a couple of incidents this season and he’s come under a bit of pressure,” Neville adds. “His form is bad.
“We know that. But I look at him and go that’s just not right that. I genuinely would worry about him because that’s not a lad who’s grown up with the spirit and freedom of playing for Manchester United as a kid.”
Rashford will have another chance to silence his critics when Man United take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.