Marcus Rashford: Forever a Red

Written by Aadya Maya Aryal

Illustrated by Sylvain Chan

“‘That’s me. I will always be a Red.”’. 

At first glance, these words from Marcus Rashford feel normal, just another declaration of love for his boyhood club amidst all the outside noise. But given what has transpired recently, they feel more like the prelude to a difficult goodbye. 

On Sunday, December 15th, Marcus Rashford, along with Alejandro Garnacho, was dropped from the matchday squad for the Manchester derby— a game in which he has previously scored six goals in, one he surely holds close as a boyhood Red from Manchester. This big call by new manager Ruben Amorim followed a tumultuous 18 months on and off the pitch for Rashford. Even before the derby, reports emerged that United, under the increasingly frugal INEOS ownership, was open to selling Rashford as early as January because of his wages, lack of consistent form, and his value in the transfer market as a homegrown player. Following this omission, reports intensified, and with Rashford expressing his desire for a ‘new challenge’ in an exclusive interview shortly after, it seemed all but confirmed that he will no longer be a United player come May, or even February. Rashford has not played at all since the derby and has been left out of five squads. Recent reports confirm the interest of several European giants, including AC Milan, Juventus, and Barcelona. 

Many United fans have taken this news with joy, feeling it is necessary and even overdue. For others, like me, it is profoundly disappointing – a reality entirely divorced from what we expected the talented, smiling 18-year-old’s future at United to look like when he giddily accepted his Player of the Match award after scoring a brace in his Premier League debut against Arsenal. How did we get here? 

That story is complicated. It definitely involves Rashford’s questionable conduct off the pitch and work ethic in recent years, but it also involves him playing through injuries for the club, enduring the chaos of a managerial merry-go-round, and being a victim of a rapidly deteriorating club culture where standards weren’t adequately enforced. Add to this the racist abuse he faced as a 21-year-old on the world’s biggest stage, the media scrutiny over everything from his outfits to his vacations, and the immense pressure to lead England’s biggest club back to glory amidst its systemic failure on all levels. He became both the hero and, inevitably, the scapegoat when he fell short of impossible expectations. The extreme vitriol – often tinged with coded language reminiscent of the media’s treatment of Raheem Sterling – has at times felt less about football and more about Rashford’s race, background, and refusal to behave in a way that pundits and ex-players deem respectable from a young Black man. They branded him as arrogant and lazy and ran with it, often creating self-fulfilling prophecies by picking at tiny details of his attitude to validate their opinions. It is an understatement to say Marcus Rashford has not been given a lot of grace, especially in the last few years. 

Rashford has been one of my favorite United players for a long time. United fans my age watched as he scored in nearly every competitive debut in his incredible first season, the greatest ‘burst-onto-the-scene’ in a while in the Premier League. To me, he has been one of the few bright lights in the mediocrity and circus that has defined United in the post-Ferguson era. He is a testament to the club’s time-honored tradition of producing and promoting exciting young talent. His profile – a rapid, goalscoring winger who can dribble and strike a ball excellently –- is the kind that I love to watch, the kind that drew comparisons to a young Cristiano Ronaldo when he was rising through the ranks at Carrington. Sir Alex himself reportedly admired Rashford’s talent and would have relished the chance to work with him.

Marcus Rashford is also a young Black man from Wythenshawe, who battled through difficult socioeconomic and family circumstances to make a name for himself at his boyhood club. He went on to use that position to dedicate himself to giving back to the people and places that made him, leading a famous food poverty campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic that led the UK Government to a U-turn that saw 1.3m children in England able to claim free school meal vouchers. This is by all measures a praiseworthy act— a rare instance of dedicated political activism from an athlete. But in a world where footballers are encouraged to ‘stick to football’, this became a stick to beat him with when his performances faltered and he quickly became branded someone with a penchant for manufacturing moments for PR purposes. That such an admirable act could be twisted so negatively is the crushing weight of scrutiny he has carried throughout his career. 

Marcus Rashford means so much to so many fans, many who formed an emotional connection with him – with him as a Black man, with him as their favorite United player, with him as a Mancunian, with him as someone who cares deeply about his community – when there was not much else to love. We celebrated with him that night in Paris, after that Chelsea freekick, and every time he brought out his finger to his temple in the 2022-23 season or roared with the away end. We hoped that he would retire at Old Trafford with at least one Premier League to his name, triumphing over the hatred. We watched with pride as a teenager became a man, all in red, inspiring future generations of Carrington, and boosting himself within five goals’ reach of United’s top ten goalscorers, joining bonafide legends of the game. 

I, like many, love this sport and pledged to support United forever, because at one point I decided that we are the best. But I also love this sport and this club because of stories like Marcus Rashford’s. Because in some way, it feels like we grew up with him through the years of highs and lows. Because sometimes what someone represents both on and off the pitch resonates with you deeply as a fan, and as a person. United fans are entitled to feel sentimental about the end of what feels like a deeply personal chapter even if they believe it’s time for a clean slate.    

So who is Marcus Rashford? Is he a carefully manufactured PR machine? An activist who takes joy in giving back to his community? Is he a talent undone by expectations, wealth, and fame at a young age? A gifted but lost young man struggling in his professional and personal life? Or is he simply a victim of breaking through during United’s most turbulent era, where it has been difficult for any one player to sustain consistent individual let alone collective success? The truth, as always, likely lies somewhere in the middle. 

I am not saying Marcus Rashford shouldn’t be sold, that he has conducted himself perfectly throughout his time at the club, or that he deserves a blank cheque no matter his performances. But fans are allowed to love him for everything he is, rather than resenting him for everything he is not. I am deeply saddened to see him go. I hope he finds joy in football again, smiling on the pitch as he once did, and shines wherever he goes next.

In Rashford’s own words: “Money is great. It’s a blessing. But dreams are priceless. For me, even at 11 years old, playing for United was my only goal.” In his early days at Carrington, he didn’t take a picture with Rooney and Ronaldo, because he believed one day he would play alongside them. That little boy from Wythenshawe more than lived his biggest dream. That, to me, is absolutely worth cherishing. 

Aadya discusses Marcus Rashford's past, present, and future with United.

Share:

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

On Key

Related Posts

How Will Burberry Stitch Up Falling Profits? 

Georgie examines Burberry’s recent sharp profit decline, uncovering why the brand has struggled compared to its high-fashion counterparts and analysing Burberry’s attempt to regain profitability.

scroll to top