Thus far, Marcus Rashford and Tottenham Hotspur might be two parallel lines that haven’t yet met, but they do have a lot in common. The English, after all, quite aptly embodies the “good, great even, in moments, but not exquisite” side of the Lilywhites.
One former Premier League captain thinks they’d suit each other very nicely.
Troy Deeney takes a dig at Tottenham by explaining why Marcus Rashford would suit them
In a recent talkSPORT appearance, former Premier League forward Troy Deeney did not hold back as he criticised the behaviour of Man United forward Marcus Rashford while linking with him with an exit from Old Trafford at Tottenham’s expense.
“Without being nasty I think he’s developed a level of superstar which, because Man United have been so bad over recent years, he’s benefited from that. From contracts and playing, especially at the start of the season. He was playing and he was awful. But he kept playing, and they would take off [Alejandro] Garnacho, take off [Amad] Diallo, whoever it was.
“I just think he’s developed a level of superstar-ness when he probably hasn’t earned it, if I’m being totally honest with you.
“I don’t think it’s about whether he can become lazy. It’s what you’re allowing him to get away with. And I think, I said this a couple of weeks ago when the new manager came in, I think Marcus will struggle because of the standard that’s expected. And then obviously he scored back-to-back games and against Arsenal he dropped him. I was at the Arsenal game. When he came on, there was no point bringing him on. It was an embarrassment when he came on. Walking around, tried to hit a massive dive, kicked it off the pitch, and then when all the players went over to the fans to clap, he was stood at the back, he was first one off, and I just thought, you’re a baby.
“You’re a baby. What is he, 27 now? Meant to be at the peak of your powers. Obviously the financials are taken care of now. Who are you as a person? What do you stand for? And my worry, genuine worry for Marcus is, when this is all said and done, that he’s going to regret not maximising it because that’s hard to live with. You know, for me personally, I had an okay career, I did really good. But from where I’m from, to where I got to, it’s, I’m good with that. I squeezed every part of the orange, do you get what I mean?”
“Nastily, he would probably suit Spurs, because there is no expectation on Spurs. The players that go there, they’re not expected to win the league, are they?”
Deeney on Rashford, as quoted by Football365.
After a disappointing run in the 2023/24 season to follow up his sensation 30-goal 2022/23 campaign, Rashford’s performances this season have been lukewarm at best. He has seven goals and three assists in 23 appearances for the Red Devils this season across all competitions.
Man United may consider selling the Englishman during the upcoming transfer window if an offer were to arrive in the region of £40 million. Rashford’s current contract fetches him £325,000 per week and is set to run until June 2028.
TTLB Opinion
It would be easy to put Deeney’s take aside right away and consider it sensationalist fluff, but there’s some substance in his argument.
The former Watford captain is coming from a place of frustration United fans are all too familiar with, because Rashford has always demonstrated moments showcasing his potential to be one of the world’s best, but for the majority of his career he has been one of those “good, but not great” players. This is not inherently a bad thing, of course, but relative to the perception around him, which has also played a role in dictating his wages, it’s hard to make a case against Rashford being overvalued.
Funnily enough, Rashford is a forward capable of playing both centrally and out wide and would thus suit Ange Postecoglou’s setup rather well, but given the Australian’s days at Hotspur Way also look numbered, it’s hard to imagine why Tottenham would want to make a move for Rashford this January.
