Marcus Rashford was once considered by Jose Mourinho to be the best player at Carrington. After 21 years with Manchester United since he was a young player at the academy, Rashford left with no way to save his career at the age of 27. The Red Devils fans can be happy, sad, blame, even angry with Rashford over the years, but in general, when a true "Red Devil" leaves like that, it more or less leaves behind some disappointment.
Rashford's departure has marked a sad milestone for Man United as they currently have no players over the age of 23 from Carrington still playing for the club. In recent weeks, the news that Alejandro Garnacho might also leave Old Trafford has left a huge wavering. Is Carrington no longer capable of bringing Man United back to glory? Or is the famous academy just a place for Man United to sell players to make money, like the financial management habits of the owners?
Rashford left because he made many people, including himself, lose patience. "Red Devils" fans cannot wait for their star to find himself again like after the 2022 World Cup. Rashford is 27 years old, this is the peak of every player's career. If he does not shine now, when will he wait?
That is also the reason why "Doctor" chose to leave to save himself before being eliminated like many other stars of Carrington in more than 10 years of Man United's ups and downs. He himself is no longer patient to wait for the revival of form under Ruben Amorim. Amorim was not wrong to remove Rashford for lack of discipline even though it put him in a difficult position when increasingly exhausted personnel in the striker line.
Rashford left because he no longer wanted to be the center of media attention. From the day he debuted until the day he said goodbye, the 27-year-old star was scrutinized in every way, whether it was volunteering or receiving a doctorate. Just playing badly in 1-2 matches, those positive actions were used as an excuse to justify negligence on the training ground.
Marcus Rashford, like everyone else, will make mistakes and have many times accepted to correct them and then shine again. However, this time is the last straw after many years of accumulation. Rashford has been pampered in the Old Trafford roof. Now when stepping out into the outside world, a new life, a new job comes with new challenges. This is the time to test a man's mettle.
Rashford has received a lot of help from Man United in his career to become famous as today. Now, he no longer receives such favor. Aston Villa agreed to pay up to 70% of his total salary of 325,000 pounds / week, enough to show how much pressure there is at Villa Park. Unai Emery's team is also determined to spend 40 million pounds to buy Rashford this summer if he plays well.
With Aston Villa so evenly matched, Rashford has to save himself, he can no longer rely on anyone. Man United fans will feel sad if Rashford fails at Villa and returns to Old Trafford this summer to continue looking for a new destination. However, that is the path he has chosen and once he has made up his mind, he should not regret it.
