Michael Owen says Marcus Rashford is Manchester United’s ‘weakest link’

Michael Owen says Marcus Rashford appears weighed down by “the whole world” and is currently the weakest member of Manchester United’s attack.

The former Manchester United and England striker criticised Rashford’s body language following his difficult return to Old Trafford after loan spells with Aston Villa and Barcelona.

Rashford has started four of Manchester United’s five Premier League matches since returning to the club, including Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage. However, despite showing occasional flashes of quality, the 28-year-old has neither scored nor provided an assist in more than 400 minutes across all competitions.

He was substituted in the second half in west London with a thigh injury, ruling him out of England’s upcoming squad. Owen said he remained concerned by both Rashford’s performances and his state of mind.

“On the left, Marcus Rashford was probably the quietest of those forwards,” Owen told Premier League Productions. “He was quiet again today in terms of his body language – just a gloomy face. It looks as if he is not enjoying football, and that has been a constant frustration with Marcus.

“It feels as though the whole world is on his shoulders and you ask yourself: how and why? He is living everybody’s dream. There must be something going on behind the scenes that makes him look as though he is not enjoying football at the moment.”

Rashford recorded 25 goal contributions during his impressive but short spell with Barcelona, including 14 goals. Owen believes the confidence he built in Catalonia is already beginning to fade.

“Barcelona was his last chance, and I could not believe his luck in joining a club the size of Barcelona,” he said.

“He did all right there, but not well enough for them to keep him. They ended up spending a big amount to replace him by signing Anthony Gordon. So it was not all perfect, and it was not all rosy, despite any attempts by some people to present it that way.

“He has returned to Manchester United and has been only all right – no more than that. He probably needs to perform slightly better in the front three because his position in the attack is the one under threat.”

There have been calls for Benjamin Sesko to return to the starting line-up, if his injury allows. Should that happen, Cunha would move to the left, leaving Rashford as the weakest link in the attack on current form, Owen said.

Despite his disappointment, Owen believes Rashford can still rediscover his best form if he reaches the right mental state.

“There is nothing this boy lacks,” he added. “He is tall, an incredible athlete, has an unbelievable touch and skill, and he is quick.

“He has everything you could want in a player. That shows you that if you do not have the right mentality, that is by far the most important thing in football. If you are mentally strong, you can go a long way in the game, and he has all the attributes.

“When he is confident, happy and everything is going well, he can outplay anyone in the world. But it is not common for his mind to work in the right way, or for him to be in the right mental state.

“He is 28 now and should be at the peak of his career. He should be tearing defences apart and scoring lots of goals. We are talking about records he could break. He has the ability to do that and has shown it in spells, but we do not see it consistently.”