Man Utd legend Andy Cole hits out at club's fans for 'disappointing' treatment of Marcus Rashford as former striker admits he's never seen a local player have such a 'surreal' relationship with supporters

Man Utd fans are growing frustrated with Marcus Rashford's failed attempts to drive the club further up the Premier League table under Ten Hag. The England international has become a scapegoat for the Red Devils amid a worrying slump in form that has seen him back just eight goals in all competitions since the start of the 2023-24 season. Cole has come to the defence of the 26-year-old, admitting he is disappointed with how some treat "one of their own".

Speaking to Betfred, Cole said: "It’s disappointing. With Marcus being a boy from Manchester, and considering how long I’ve been personally involved with the club, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a local player have such a relationship with the fans. It’s a little bit surreal because the fans usually get behind one of their own and in general, they get behind the team.

"I’ve said this before, but nobody actually knows what’s going on with him. It could be something so personal that it’s impacting his football. I’m not going to sit here and say it could be X, Y and Z because in football you need to get back to basics and that’s what Marcus has to do. The only way Marcus can get through this situation is by winning the fans back. That’s going to be done via his performances, goals and doing what he did a couple of seasons ago."

Rashford proved he can still stand out as one of the Premier League's top talents under Ten Hag. The issue is that it was two years ago. The 60-cap England international recorded 40 goal contributions across 56 matches in 2022-23 but has only bagged a fraction of that since.

After being left out of the England squad again, Rashford has a few weeks to really knuckle down and sharpen up ahead of Man Utd's return to domestic action. Their next two games - against Southampton and Crystal Palace - will be crucial in determining how their season unfolds in 2024-25.