MARCUS RASHFORD is playing like football is a ‘chore’, according to record Premier League scorer Alan Shearer.
The Red Devils forward has netted just three goals in 15 games so far this season and looked out of sorts in recent months.
He produced another disappointing display during Man Utd’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Aston Villa on Monday night.
And a sympathetic Shearer admitted you can tell Rashford is finding things difficult at the moment.
Speaking on the BBC‘s coverage of the game, he said: “It’s a little bit better, I think, in that first half. I get that he’s had injuries, I get that he’s struggling with a little bit of confidence, amazing work off the pitch.
“But certainly a lot of the times this season, it looks as if everything is a chore. It looks like hard work for him. He doesn’t seem to be enjoying his football as much.
“I get that. It’s a learning curve, you learn how to get over that.
“There has been one or two more encouraging signs in that first half.
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“Certainly, he posed lots of questions early on when he was down that left-hand side. I said about the lack of width before the game.
“That hasn’t been the case, he’s done well down that side. And then he’s switched to the right-hand side. So, a little bit better from him tonight.”
In the second half of the game Rashford failed to follow in Mason Greenwood’s shot – much to the anger of the Man Utd faithful.
He was then substituted for Anthony Elanga in the 86th minute.
At the end of the match, Shearer continued: “When you look at the body language of some of the players… I don’t want to single out Marcus Rashford because he’s low on confidence, we don’t know what’s going on in his personal life.
‘But I just think everything looks a huge effort for him at this moment in time.
“There’s no spark, it’s very flat. He started off the first five, ten minutes and I thought here we go, he’s back to his best by giving Man United a little bit of width.
“He had a bit of a spark about him. But there was once in the first half, at the end, and in the second half when [Mason] Greenwood cuts in from the right-hand side… he just stands still.”
Rashford’s poor display against Villa comes after he was forced to deny claims he is unhappy at Old Trafford.
Following the 1-0 loss to Wolves earlier this month, the England forward took to social media to say: “We’ve all been disappointed with recent performances and we’ve been as disappointed with the news coverage questioning our commitment to not only the manager and the coaching staff but the club.
“I have endless respect for both and I’m looking forward to bettering my game under the staff at Manchester United.
“I’m not sulking, I’m not unhappy, am I disappointed in some of my recent performances? Of course I am. I’m my own biggest critic.
“It’s been a tough start but I’m determined to prove my worth. My dedication and my desire to be here should never be in question. I love this club.”
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