Marcus Rashford news: What went wrong for the Man Utd star in 2021 and how can he turn it around?

Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene at Old Trafford and has served his country in a way no other footballer has.

Campaigning to end child food poverty, improve literacy and drive social change, Rashford has earned the respect of the nation.

But on the pitch, a damaging 2021 provided the first setback in his career and now Rashford finds his career at a crossroads.

Out of form and out of favour, Rashford struggled with injury and consistency. 

But what went wrong and how can he fix it? Can the 24-year-old put the injuries, penalty horrors and poor start to the season behind him to rediscover his form in 2022, or does the England international need a change of club to kick-start his career?

A confidence-destroying 2021

Falling short in the Europa League

Last season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United were a team in ascendance, but while they were hitting new heights in the league, finishing second behind Manchester City, it was silverware the fans craved.

In the FA Cup, a quarter-final loss to Leicester City sent them crashing out, while Man City dumped them out of the League Cup at the semi-final stage.

That left Europe, and while United exited at the group stages of the Champions League, it was widely accepted that the Europa League was their best chance of a trophy.

There, United came up against Unai Emery's Villarreal. Gerard Moreno gave the Spanish side the lead in what turned out to be their only shot of the game, before Edinson Cavani's second-half goal forced the tie into extra time.

A further 30 minutes of frustration for the Red Devils resulted in a penalty shootout - and an agonising one at that. All of the opening 10 penalties were scored, with Rashford stepping up fourth for United and making no mistake.

Eventually, with 21 penalties taken, it came down to the only remaining player on the pitch - David de Gea - to score. He couldn't. United had fallen short again.

Rashford battled through injury to play the full 120 minutes of the final but was a peripheral figure throughout. He certainly made his mark post-match, though, unleashing a passionate speech defending both himself and the club against the criticism that was coming their way.

It counted for nothing, however, as United again fell short at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, sacking Solskjaer after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Watford brought up a fifth Premier League defeat in seven.

England's Euro nightmare

Barely two weeks after his Europa League heartbreak, Rashford had to shake off the disappointment and deliver for his country at Euro 2020.

The Three Lions had a relatively quiet group stage, only scoring twice, and Rashford was restricted to substitute appearances in all three games.

He failed to feature at all in the round-of-16 clash against Germany and was again reduced to a substitute role against Ukraine.

In the final, manager Gareth Southgate turned to the 24-year-old in his hour of need, bringing him off the bench moments before the crucial penalty shootout against Italy.

Rashford and fellow replacements Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were called on for the spot-kicks and all three missed from 12 yards as Italy went on to lift the trophy.

It was the closest England had come to a major trophy in over 50 years and the trio found themselves the target of racist abuse, prompting a defiant response from Rashford.

"I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough," he said. "It should have gone in but I will never apologise for who I am or where I came from." He went on to say: "I've had a difficult season, I think that's been clear for everyone to see and I probably went into the final with a lack of confidence."

Battling through injury

What wasn't clear at the time was that Rashford was battling two serious injuries to continue representing both club and country.

It has since been revealed that the United star had floating bone fragments in his ankle, while an ongoing shoulder injury was also a cause for concern.

Having held on until the Europa League final, United's medical team insisted Rashford undergo double surgery.

But with the Euros just around the corner, Rashford pleaded with them to hold on until after the summer tournament.

He finally did undergo surgery on both his shoulder and ankle following the conclusion of the Euros, resulting in him missing the opening two months of the 2021/22 campaign.

Low-key return from injury

Returning from injury, Rashford made a mixed start to the 2021/22 season.

While he marked his comeback with a goal against Leicester, he's been part of a hugely underperforming team who currently sit fourth despite being touted to win the title.

Low on confidence and often looking disinterested, his decision-making on the pitch has lacked conviction.

What now for Rashford?

A quick glance at Rashford's stats don't actually suggest a player struggling for form.

Despite 2020/21 beeing deemed a poor season, Rashford registered an impressive 21 goals and 15 assists over 57 games.

This season he has five goals and one assist from 17 appearances, only ten of which have been starts.

What's more, Rashford has now scored two goals in two games, including a 90th-minute winner against West Ham - if anything is going to boost his confidence, it's that.

A Red Devil through and through

There have been suggestions a move may help Rashford rediscover his form - and love for the game.

But that ignores what made Rashford great in the first place. His rise through the ranks at Old Trafford has made him a talisman for the club.

While he has occasionally faced hurdles in his career, the glimpses of real promise are still there and, as a local boy, he remains adored by the fans.

Jumping ship isn't the answer. His boyhood club is the best place for him to be.

Furthermore, Ralf Rangnick is still finding his feet in Manchester and there aren't many managers who will be able to extract more from the England forward than the German boss.

Rangnick's famed gegenpress suits Rashford's high-octane style to a tee, and there's still plenty of time for the interim boss to get the most out of his talented forward. Despite having seemingly being around the Premier League for years, Rashford doesn't even turn 25 until October.

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