'Bang average' Marcus Rashford compared to Dele Alli with Man Utd star on verge of forcing exit from Old Trafford

Rashford became a fan favourite at Manchester United soon after his debut in 2016, and has had a number of peaks through his eight years at Old Trafford but failed to show consistency in those levels. Over the last two seasons, the England international has failed to perform up to standard and new boss Ruben Amorim's exclusion of Rashford has left the 27-year-old looking for a departure.

Rashford could well have played his final game for his boyhood club. Former Tottenham Hotspur star Waddle has now criticised the 'bang average' player and compared the winger with the likes of Dele and Barkley, who shone at Spurs and Everton respectively before withering away without fulfilling their potential.

Speaking to Prime Casino, Waddle said: "What is he doing at the minute? They said he was ill for the Liverpool game, not in the squad. No disrespect, but he's not young anymore. People keep talking as if he was 21. He's not. He's had an in and out career. We all know he's got ability, but we’ve seen this story with so many players before.

"Players like Dele Alli, Ross Barkley they come on the scene, burn brightly and then disappear. Both of those players were talked as world-beaters when they were younger, and they couldn’t do it over the curse of their careers. There are so many players who were tipped to become the next big thing, and it didn’t happen for them."

The England international is likely to leave United this January, and Waddle added that Rashford needs a fresh start: "The only person that can change it is Marcus Rashford. I expect him to move on. He needs to move on from Manchester United. Whether it's a loan until the end of the season, whether it's permanent, he must think to himself, ‘I've got to get away. I'm wasting time, I need to get in the England squad, I need to be playing, and I want to show everybody how good I can be.’ He had that season where he scored loads of goals, but that is becoming a distant memory. He’s been bang average since."