Rashford given surprising transfer advice

Robin Bairner

• 31 Jan 2024 08:16 GMT
• 2 min read

Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester United has been thrown into doubt over the course of the last week.

Rashford is claimed to have visited a nightclub in Belfast on back-to-back nights before missing training on Friday due to illness.

Although Erik ten Hag would neither confirm nor deny the rumours, the England winger was not in the squad for the weekend’s encounter with Newport in the FA Cup – a match the Red Devils won 4-2 in rather unconvincing style.

New reports indicate that Man Utd’s players are unhappy with the “selfish” attitude of Rashford, while club legend Rio Ferdinand has criticised his behaviour.

Previously, Ten Hag has taken a hard line on insubordination, with Cristiano Ronaldo released by mutual consent late in 2022, yet it is unclear what the future of the 26-year-old holds.

The Daily Mail suggests that PSG are interested in him once again, but what would be the best move for a player who appears to have lost his way both in terms of his form and his focus?

Rashford's best transfer options

Data analytics firm SciSports has come up with an answer using its Career Advice tool.

The experts believe that there are four clubs better for Rashford than Man Utd at present – and PSG certainly aren’t one of those.

Coming out top of the list are Aston Villa, who are given a Club Fit score of 79. This owes to the balance of development opportunities, playing time and playing style that Unai Emery’s side boast.

Next come Inter Milan. The Serie A title hopefuls are not as strong on development but could offer Rashford more playing time.

Intriguingly, Real Madrid come third on the list, but their playing style and formation are not as strong as those at the other clubs.

SciSports rate these three teams among the best 10 in the world presently, with Man Utd only 17th.

While the Red Devils are thought to be fifth-most suited to Rashford, West Ham are the other club who rate higher than Ten Hag’s men. David Moyes could offer the winger more playing time and in a style that would get the best from him.

PSG, SciSports indicate, would be a poor choice for Rashford. The Club Fit score of the Parc des Princes side is only 64, placing them 19th among the best options for the controversial Man Utd star.