Marcus Rashford labelled a Man Utd ‘baby’ that could ‘end up like Jesse Lingard’ as savage Tottenham transfer warning is sounded

Old Trafford academy graduate Rashford appeared to have got his career back on track when hitting a personal-best return of 30 goals in the 2022-23 campaign. He did, however, manage only eight efforts last season and has just seven to his name this term.

The 27-year-old forward is working on a lucrative contract, but is doing little to justify those terms and has seen former Premier League striker Troy Deeney tell talkSPORT of concerning attitude traits: “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?”

Quizzed on whether those around him should be shouldering some of the blame for Rashford’s dip, Deeney went on to say as he dragged another ex-United star that has suffered a humbling fall from grace into the discussion: “No, ultimately it all falls on him. And I'm just disappointed, because I think he could have been a world-beater. I genuinely do. I think he could have been someone that played for England on a regular basis. He could have scored loads of goals. He could have been an absolute shining star for Man United for many years and go down as a club legend.

“And I think what's going to happen is he's going to tarnish that, and he's going to ultimately end up like someone like Jesse Lingard. That was like, what if? What if he had, you know, applied himself? I think he's lost interest with media as well.”

Rashford’s contract is due to run until 2028, but Deeney added when asked what the future could hold for a man that is struggling to free himself from a professional rut: “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?”