"He’s not a kid anymore – he’s a man" - Pundit believes Manchester United star will lose his place in national team if poor form persists

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince reckons attacker Marcus Rashford needs to improve to keep his place in the national side.

Rashford, 26, is in the midst of a lean season, scoring just four times in 26 games across competitions. That's a far cry from his 30-goal 2022-23 season, where United won the EFL Cup, reached the FA Cup final and finished third in the Premier League.

Rashford has been a regular for Gareth Southgate's England, scoring 17 times in 59 appearances, and playing the last three major tournaments. However, Ince told instantcasino.com (via Metro) that on current form, Rashford doesn't deserve to play the European Championships in the summer:

"Last year, Marcus Rashford would have been a no brainer to start for England in Germany, but I’m not sure what’s happened to him this season. He was absolutely flying this time last year, and that coincided with Manchester United getting into two cup finals and the top four."

"There’s probably a lack of confidence at times too – which every player can go through, I went through it a lot – but he’s got to get back to his best."

Ince added:

"Would he start for England in the Euros based on current form? Probably not. I hope he does, but I don’t think he will, because you’ve got the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish who can come in and put in a good shift ahead of him.

"He’s not a kid anymore – he’s a man and he needs to go through these stages to become a better player. Unless his form picks up, I don’t think he will be starting for England.’

Rashford has scored in his last two league games for United after scoring twice in his previous 18.

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What's next for Manchester United?

Marcus Rashford

Manchester United will look to continue their unbeaten start to the year when they travel to Newport County on Sunday (January 28) for the FA Cup fourth round.

Marcus Rashford and Co. are coming off a 2-2 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. United are eighth in the league after 21 games, 16 points off leaders Liverpool (48) and 11 behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.

Erik ten Hag's side are out of Europe, after finishing last in their UEFA Champions League group, and the EFL Cup. The FA Cup represents their only realistic hope of silverware this season.