Arsenal legend Ian Wright urges Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United

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Bengaluru, September 5: Arsenal legend Ian Wright has urged striker Marcus Rashford to reconsider his future and seek a move out of Manchester United to reinvent himself.

Rashford burst into the scenes in 2015 when Louis van Gaal handed him a debut against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League and the forward repaid the faith by netting on his debut. After that, the Englishman enjoyed a great run and even scored on debut for the Three Lions.

For the last two seasons though, current United manager Jose Mourinho has mostly used Rashford as a winger. Although the 20-year-old has completed 100 games for United, the player has struggled of late to get into United's Starting XI, with manager Mourinho preferring the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku over him.

With Rashford getting little or no chance to play as an out and out forward for United, Wright has suggested the 20-year-old should move out of United to realise his potential. A move to another club has already been rejected by the forward boldly, but former Premier league top-scorer Wright has claimed a player who has made no secret of his ambition to operate as a central forward needs to seriously weigh up his options.

The former England forward told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I think that Rashford, especially when he burst onto the scene, we saw flashes of a striker that can go into the space and he can link up, and he can finish.

“Now, what’s happened to him since he’s been at United on the left or the right, wherever they play him, he’s played everywhere apart from up front learning his trade.

“He’s got pace, he’s got skill, he’s got finishing ability. He’s been playing in roles that have taken the edge of those sides of his game.

“Rashford’s got massive, massive, decisions to make in the next year, 18 months for me.

“He’s either got to leave Manchester United and play, and play in a position where he’s going to start to be that player we all thought he was going to be when he burst onto the scene, scoring goals left, right and centre every competition he has played in or he’s going to have to stay there, whether it’s Mourinho or whoever it is, and maybe playing on the left, maybe playing on the right, maybe playing up front.”

Rashford has had a tough start to the new Premier League campaign this term. The youngster got a start in the opening game against Leicester but failed to grab the opportunity and is yet to be handed a start since then. Against Burnley last weekend, Rashford was sent off for pushing his head into Phil Bardsley even as United won the game 2-0.

Rashford is now set to miss United’s next three domestic fixtures against Watford, Wolves and Derby in the League Cup but is expected to get a chance to feature with England in the international break. England will face Spain at Wembley.