Marcus Rashford’s indifferent season is rapidly catching up with him: he’s in the midst of being taught some harsh yet inescapable life lessons. Namely, there is only so far your name can take you in the world of football before you’re eventually dropped due to a run of poor performances. Gareth Southgate was the latest manager to inflict this blow on Rashford after he dropped the 24-year-old for England’s March internationals.

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Southgate’s Snub Couldn’t Come At A Worse Time

Rashford’s exclusion comes at a crucial time given that future opportunities in an England shirt will soon be in short supply when you take into account that the Three Lions will only play six more games before the World Cup, once the March internationals conclude. Essentially, if Rashford is on the outside looking in, with only a few games left to secure his seat on the plane to Qatar, then you do wonder what he will do to turn this situation around after a run of, frankly, inexplainable form.

Alarmingly, we’ve also seen Manchester United supporters begin to turn on the winger, which even led to Rashford issuing an impassioned plea following an altercation with a set of fans. In short, Rashford admitted that emotion got the better of him but asked the fans to be more considerate given that he is his own harshest critic.

Marcus Rashford comments on the video of him reacting to fans heckling him outside Old Trafford pic.twitter.com/4eUwVnXPFB

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 16, 2022

In many respects, this is a story that keeps repeating itself, and as briefly touched on, it’s hard to see how Rashford is able to put this spell behind him without perhaps leaving Manchester United. Crucially, Rashford is now also coming under fire from club legends like Gary Neville who recently objected to the players heading abroad during the international break after a run of terrible results. In Rashford’s case, he was called out for flying to Dubai to watch some boxing during the same week that United was knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid.

It’s important to stress that Neville can, at times, be overly critical of this current crop of United players given that he is incredibly passionate about seeing his former team reach the heights that he did as a player. With this in mind, it’s probably fair to give Rashford some leeway with regards to what he does outside of football but with that being said, it’s becoming increasingly clear that life under the microscope at Old Trafford is hurting his chances of finding his best form again. This is a reality that may only hit home once Southgate announces his final World Cup squad and Rashford isn’t in it.

England Is In The Midst Of A Golden Age, Can Rashford Afford To Miss Out?

Something else to keep in mind is that England is currently at just 7/1 to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This list of the best online sports betting sites can provide further odds on who the favourites are with Bet365, in particular, pricing only Brazil and France ahead of the Three Lions as the most likely candidates to win. Punters are, of course, able to access free bets and generous sign-up bonuses from this list of mentioned bookmakers that can be used on the potential winners of the 2022 showpiece in the desert.

In this case, one of those winners could indeed be England. Now, hypothetically speaking, how does Rashford reconcile himself to the fact that his country has won the World Cup whilst he was sitting at home? Could the fact that England, now one of the genuine frontrunners for World Cup glory, end up inspiring Rashford to take matters into his own hands this summer by forcing a move away from Old Trafford?

Putting in the work 💪🏾⚽️ pic.twitter.com/VPzUmTiLYQ

— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) March 22, 2022

Granted, there won’t be much time to change Southgate’s mind before the Premier League pauses in mid-November for the playing of the 2022 World Cup, but then again this is Rashford, he is a generational talent that has merely lost his way. Indeed, there is every chance that if the winger was able to hit the ground running at a new club then he would force his way back into contention.

You do feel that a fresh start is now a must if one of England’s brightest stars is ever able to shine again.