Marcus Rashford challenged to become a ‘now player’ at Man Utd as Bruno Fernandes wakes up thinking ‘I hope somebody else scores more goals’

Portuguese playmaker Fernandes, who made Premier League history when registering 21 assists last season, continues to carry United on his back at times. He has been doing that for the best part of seven years.

There are plenty of talented performers alongside him in Manchester, but too many team-mates have been struggling for consistency. That needs to change in order for United to become contenders again for the grandest of domestic and continental trophies.

Rashford is being asked to aid that cause in 2026-27, on the back of stints at Aston Villa and Barca, with the 28-year-old well versed in the demands of life at Old Trafford after making 428 appearances for the Red Devils and scoring 128 goals. It was only three years ago that he found the target on 30 occasions across the 2022-23 campaign.

A dip has been endured on the back of those exploits, and signing a lucrative contract, but a clean slate has been presented. There were no takers to be found during the last transfer window, as Rashford enters the final two years of his £325,000-a-week deal.

Quizzed on whether he was surprised by the apparent lack of interest shown in the 78-cap England international, ex-United midfielder Strachan - who was speaking in association with Grosvenor Sport - told GOAL: “It doesn't surprise me. No, no. Because I think it's all a bit... Signing players and having players is all a bit immediate.

“You can't be signing players on what they did two years ago. It's impossible to do that. I think Marcus Rashford with the wages and things like that, when you're paying that type of wage, you can't always guarantee success. That player's got to be successful.

“Also, as a manager, I think when you take Marcus Rashford along, because he's at Manchester United, everything is about Marcus Rashford. I always ask, why is he not playing? What is he not there? This has happened.

“If you go to Barcelona, and it's not a Barcelona team of years ago, with any Xavi and Messi. It's a Barcelona side that's a good Barcelona. He's not got a game there. He's basically been a sub for the last two years.You really want that in your team?

“Whatever it is he gets, X amount of money, I can see why a lot of people wouldn't have bought that. It takes up too much time. It could be the same for Michael Carrick. If he doesn't play him, why is he not getting a game? Is it because of this? He's a guy that gets a lot of media attention.

“There's a lot of media attention to what he was as a player three years ago. That's up to Marcus Rashford to sort that out and deal with it himself. And to make himself a player of now, rather than two or three years ago. You have to be a now player.

“Even the signings coming in on deadline day, I watched an under-19 game with Dundee, so I've come back in, I'm watching players come in and sign for 45, 60 million and I've never heard of these players. But they're players of the now. People want action now.

“So that's probably why Marcus... There's a talent there. There's absolutely a talent there. You can't be a consistent talent if you've got that game. You can't be in the game all the time. His job is to score goals and make goals.”

Strachan, who spent five years with United between 1984 and 1989, added on what the Red Devils need as a collective: “I think Bruno Fernandes would get up in the morning and go to the game and think, ‘I hope somebody else scores more goals and makes goals rather than me because it's me all the time’.

“And that's where Marcus Rashford and people like that have to say, ‘right, we’ve let this guy do everything, I want to do something now’. I don't know if those days are beyond him, of ‘I want to be the best player on the pitch and I want to do this’ and there's a kind of vibe from him. I don't know if that vibe's there anymore. I hope I'm wrong. I hope the guy does really well because he seems like a decent fella.”

Rashford has figured in both of United’s fixtures at the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season - stepping off the bench in the Red Devils’ disappointing 2-0 defeat at Hull City, before starting their 5-2 home win over Ipswich.

The latest transfer deadline has passed with no sale being sanctioned, meaning that the Manchester native will remain at Michael Carrick’s disposal until at least January. United will be back in action on Sunday when taking in a trip to Merseyside for a meeting with Everton.