Marcus Rashford anger is misguided and counterproductive for Manchester United

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has found himself in the middle of an unwanted social media storm despite not even kicking a ball this weekend. The Reds academy graduate has be spotted in New York enjoying some down time with fellow teammate Casemiro as the pair watched the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

However, some 'fans' have taken that public appearance to the extreme and used it as an opportunity to have a pop at the 27-year-old. Some United accounts on social media have criticised Rashford for flying across the Atlantic, claiming he should be putting in the work on the training ground to impress new boss Ruben Amorim.

On the pitch, it's fair to say Rashford is not enjoying his best football at United and his struggles have been well documented in the last 18 months. After scoring 30 goals in 56 games in the 2022/23 season, Rashford managed just eight goals and six assists last term, but has shown signs of improvement already this season with four goals and three assists.

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And yet, he's still coming under fire. When a player, who has been given the time off uses it to take a mental break from the Premier League, give him that grace. Bizarrely, Casemiro has not come under the same criticism as his teammate, despite being at the exact same game. Rashford's appearance was criticized by some people - an utterly, utterly bizarre approach.

Just a day later the Reds forward uploaded a picture of him working in the gym, silencing those critics from hours earlier. He's human.

Negativity on social media often snowballs into something far greater. It's a dangerous precedent modern society has set.

“When someone else misplaces a pass it does not get mentioned, but when it is Marcus it’s different. Very different,” one source told the i back in September when claims emerged about bullying. A look at social media this weekend makes it very difficult to argue against that rhetoric.

“The criticism coming his way is an onslaught. It is like bullying. Supporters believe what senior ex-players say, which only makes worse. The club have spent £100m on central strikers and Marcus is back out wide, as a facilitator. And he is doing his job in that regard.

"“He is a local lad from Manchester living out his dream,” a source added. “So why can people not get off his back? Some support from somewhere might help him get back to his best. Without that, and with these ex-players unable to contain themselves when he does the slightest thing wrong, it only makes things harder for him.”

At the beginning of the international break, Rashford visited a local school and put plenty of smiles on young faces. And yet, there was little praise on social media for that move.

Rashford became somewhat of a national treasure during lockdown, earning an MBE for his services to charity after helping children get free school meals during the coronavirus pandemic. Though he may be struggling on the pitch, the United academy graduate continues to show what a brilliant human being he is and criticism, like on social media this weekend, will certainly do him no favours in returning to his best form.