Teddy Sheringham Critiques Rashford's Desire For Barcelona Move Amid Manchester United Struggles

Marcus Rashford's potential transfer to Barcelona has sparked debate, with former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham expressing doubts about the move. Rashford, who is among five players training separately from Ruben Amorim's squad, has been linked with a loan move to Barcelona after Aston Villa decided against making his stay permanent due to his high wages.

Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan in January and initially impressed with four goals and five assists in 17 appearances. Despite this, Villa chose not to make the deal permanent for £40 million, partly due to Rashford's substantial weekly salary of £325,000. As Barcelona shows interest following their unsuccessful attempt to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao, Sheringham questions whether Rashford deserves such a move.

Sheringham, who won the treble with United in 1998-99, believes Rashford should value his position at Manchester United more. "If you assess where Marcus Rashford is at, you strive as a youngster to get to the very top and play for clubs like Manchester United, and when you're there, you appreciate it," Sheringham told Sky Bet. "You don't throw it away and say you want to leave."

Erik ten Hag, Amorim's predecessor at United, had publicly criticised Rashford several times during his tenure. In January, Amorim stated that Rashford needed to change his training approach if he wanted to remain in the team. The manager even remarked that he would prefer selecting his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach over Rashford due to the forward's lack of effort.

Rashford's form has dipped since the 2022-23 season when he scored 30 goals across all competitions. During that period, United secured third place in the Premier League and won the EFL Cup. However, his performance declined significantly in subsequent seasons.

Sheringham compared Rashford's situation to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's departure from Arsenal. "To hear someone talking the way he is talking... I didn't like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doing that at Arsenal," Sheringham said. "I thought it was soul-destroying."

In recent seasons, Rashford managed only eight goals in 43 matches during the 2023-24 season and scored just eleven times last season. Four of those goals were while playing for Aston Villa.

Sheringham hopes Rashford does not secure a move he hasn't earned yet. He believes moving from Manchester United to Barcelona represents an undeserved step up for Rashford given his current form and attitude towards leaving Old Trafford.