Marcus Rashford may be meeting Man Utd's new 'Mr Marginal Gains' at perfect time
Marcus Rashford had some time off and went to see a mate in Larne, a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
After posing for photos and signing autographs at Larne FC, where his best friend Ro-Shaun Williams now plays, Rashford then headed to Belfast and was seen going into a nightclub on Wednesday night. No issue there, Thursday was a day off.
The question then becomes whether Rashford stayed in Northern Ireland on Thursday night, visited Thompsons Garage, and why he duly missed training on Friday? Was he indeed ill? Did he return late? Were any club rules broken? Or was it all an unfortunate coincidence?
Erik ten Hag insisted on Friday he was ill and that's why he missed training. The same Ten Hag who told off Rashford for being in a nightclub - the England striker pictured in Chinawhite after the 3-0 beating at Old Trafford by Manchester City - earlier this season. If illness wasn't the case, the Dutchman will, understandably, be fuming.
Now if there is one player who warrants particular scrutiny from a man who will clearly have a huge influence under the new Old Trafford regime, it is Rashford.
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What will Sir Dave Brailsford make of him? As the marginal gains man, Brailsford might not recommend going clubbing on ANY night during a season but is unlikely to think it is a major deal.
But when discussing his philosophies and methods with Nasser Hussain for a Sky Sports series entitled Secrets of Success, Brailsford talked about something he calls a ‘hunger index’. And Brailsford spoke about how various things can affect an athlete’s hunger - one of which could be recently having signed a new contract.
Rashford has been underachieving this season (Paul Currie/REX/Shutterstock)That is one aspect of Rashford’s steep drop in form this season that will surely intrigue Brailsford. Has the comfort of a new five-year-deal worth over £300,000 taken the edge off Rashford’s hunger? The visual evidence on the field would suggest so - as would the player’s statistics.
It is mildly encouraging that he has scored in his past two Premier League matches but Rashford has a total of four goals - one of which was a penalty - across all competitions for United this season. He is, of course, playing in an often malfunctioning United team and has been asked to play all across the front line.
Erik ten Hag has to take a lot of responsibility for currently not getting the best out of the club’s marquee player, for sure. But Rashford is 26, should be in his pomp and his phenomenal talent should be front and centre of a serious United resurgence.
If it was, the timing of his being in a Belfast nightclub would certainly be much less of an issue.
Instead, they are questioning his hunger. Brailsford won’t be rushing to any similar judgement - but helping a Rashford revival will be at the top of his in-tray.
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