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Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has said Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford could already be past his prime even though he's just 26 years old, as his struggles continue this season.
It's been a forgettable outing for Rashford this season. He appears to have lost everything that made him special: his confidence on the ball, his ability to tear opposition defenses apart, and his goalscoring knack.
The English forward has only eight goals and five assists to show for the 40 appearances he's made for Manchester United across all competitions this season. The fact that he scored only once in his first 11 Premier League games set the tone for a difficult spell.
For every other player at 26, there's usually a way back but for Marcus Rashford, it appears to be a different ball game. As Graeme Souness put it, success appears to have located the winger too soon and it now looks like his best years are behind him.
The former Liverpool star relayed the worrying comments during a conversation with talkSPORT.
"When we were the dominant team at Liverpool, they (United) were the bigger stars than we were. They get so much attention Manchester United players and I think it's to their detriment," Souness said.
"Especially the modern game when the kind of rewards these boys get, they get far too much far too soon and I think Rashford is a case in point. He's 26, should just be now approaching his best years but it looks like his best years are long gone," he added.
Since getting his breakthrough at Old Trafford in 2016, Marcus Rashford has scored 131 goals and 64 assists for Manchester United in 399 games across all competitions. It remains to be seen if he can turn the corner soon.
What's next for Liverpool and Manchester United?
Liverpool continued their push for the Premier League title this season with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday (April 21). They'll take on Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in their next league game on Wednesday (April 24).
Manchester United, meanwhile, will go head-to-head with Sheffield United in their next game in the English top flight on Wednesday, with the clash scheduled to take place at Old Trafford. The Red Devils will need to step up as they've failed to win any of their last five games in all competitions in regular time.
That said, Erik ten Hag's men occupy the seventh spot in the table with 50 points in 32 games. The Reds, on the other hand, are second with 74 points in 33 outings. It remains to be seen what their results will be this week.
