Why Rashford is 'lightning rod for criticism'

It feels similar Marcus Rashford is simply a lightning rod for criticism, and ever has been. The question is, why?

At the infinitesimal everyone is talking astir him due to the fact that Manchester United's caller manager Ruben Amorim near him retired of his squad for Sunday's derby, and past Rashford came retired and said he is acceptable for "the adjacent steps" successful his career.

But erstwhile you instrumentality a measurement backmost from his existent concern and uncertain aboriginal astatine Old Trafford, it does consciousness similar helium has ever been judged otherwise to astir different players - starting with the absorption to his signifier connected the pitch.

Part of that is fundamentally conscionable due to the fact that of who helium is. He is Marcus Rashford, Manchester United academy graduate. He is besides 1 of the club's apical earners and it is perceived that helium should beryllium doing a batch amended than helium is.

You perceive each astir however bully helium was, say, a mates of years ago, and radical inquire wherefore helium is not the aforesaid now.

But portion determination are ever players who autumn retired of form, determination doesn't look to beryllium the aforesaid consciousness of resentment towards them that Rashford gets erstwhile his show levels dip.

And of people the different the happening astir Rashford is that, whenever radical speech astir however helium is playing, determination is ever a treatment astir what helium does disconnected the tract arsenic well.

That is wherever his attraction truly does go unfair successful my opinion. Everyone seems to person made their caput up astir his character, but successful world however galore radical really cognize him?

I deliberation his team-mates cognize Rashford, and the radical adjacent to him bash excessively - but everyone else? Not truthful much.

Instead, their cognition is astir from a PR perspective, wherever the infinitesimal idiosyncratic says thing antagonistic astir him it seems precise casual to believe. Sometimes it adjacent feels similar radical truly privation to judge it.

That's erstwhile you get this statement on the lines of "he's not playing good due to the fact that helium doesn't care" oregon "he's focused connected his manner alternatively of his football".

But different than a fistful of well-known incidents which person been spoken astir and handled by whoever was United's manager astatine the time, the remainder is conscionable speculation.

He is surely not doing things chronically incorrect connected thing adjacent vaguely approaching a regular basis, but it is inactive hinted that his behaviour and quality is consistently astatine responsibility and radical conscionable instrumentality that arsenic gospel.

I should marque it perfectly wide present that I don't cognize Marcus either. I don't cognize what helium is similar astatine training, oregon erstwhile helium is distant from the team. I americium besides definite that, similar astir different players I bash know, helium is not perfect.

I americium surely not defending him for the instances wherever helium missed grooming oregon was precocious for a squad meeting, but it is astir 9 years since helium broke into United's archetypal squad and the mode helium is portrayed feels retired of proportionality to the frequence of those incidents.

When you measurement everything up similar that, I americium not amazed Rashford says helium is "misunderstood".

I don't cognize him arsenic a idiosyncratic but, erstwhile I ticker him, I tin spot that for Marcus Rashford, happiness seems to beryllium erstwhile helium is playing shot for United, and helium is playing well.

A batch of the disapproval of him has travel from United fans, which is good successful itself, but I deliberation they sometimes hide they person got much successful communal with him than immoderate different subordinate successful that team.

He is from Manchester, and supports United - similar them, helium is simply a instrumentality arsenic well.

That does not mean they should conscionable springiness him endless amounts of enactment but determination are times erstwhile helium could intelligibly bash with an limb astir his shoulder.

Instead, the hostility and maltreatment towards him is truthful precocious astatine times, it feels extreme. Again, it does not wed up with the magnitude of praise helium receives erstwhile helium is playing well.

I deliberation what makes it worse for him is this thought that helium doesn't care. When you're fixed that statement arsenic a player, past immoderate radical volition ever judge it - and it's adjacent worse erstwhile you're a homegrown player, due to the fact that a batch of supporters judge you should consciousness the aforesaid mode astir the nine arsenic them.

So, portion helium mightiness spell done a spell wherever helium plays better, his critics are astir waiting for him to person a atrocious crippled - and their absorption is ever the same: it should substance much to him due to the fact that he's a United fan, but he's showing a deficiency of effort, oregon a atrocious attitude.

Rashford is 27 now, and I've heard radical reason that, astatine his age, helium is not going to change.

I americium not definite helium needs to, but I would decidedly picture him arsenic idiosyncratic who is firmly attached to this Manchester United era.

By that, I mean his clip successful the United archetypal squad has been precise antithetic to astir of the young players who came done the ranks determination successful the years earlier him.

The 'Class of 92' is ever seen arsenic the modern-day marker successful that respect, but much precocious Jonny Evans, Danny Welbeck and Darren Fletcher came done the ranks to interruption into palmy Manchester United teams and won Premier League titles. It was a batch easier for them.

Rashford's epoch has been precise different. He has inactive won trophies, but since his debut successful 2016 United person ne'er travel adjacent to being champions. They person been acold excessively inconsistent for that, but bully oregon atrocious helium has ever been 1 of the large talking points of this squad - arsenic helium is now.

What happens adjacent is going to beryllium precise interesting. Amorim has said this concern is not down to discipline, but this is the archetypal clip successful Rashford's vocation wherever his day-to-day quality has been actively discussed by his manager alternatively than conscionable by fans oregon the media.

So this is different, and it is wherefore we are astatine the signifier wherever Rashford is speaking openly astir a "new challenge" - but helium does not person to permission OId Trafford for that.

If helium is going to determination connected it would person to beryllium a woody that suits everyone - his interest from the club's constituent of presumption and, for him, his wages, and wherever helium wants to play.

I deliberation there's inactive lone truly 1 reply to that past question, and surely United fans would agree.

He's a Red astatine heart. He's been astatine his boyhood nine since helium was 7 and his utopia is to beryllium playing each week for Manchester United, winning trophies and taking them backmost to wherever helium feels they should be.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.