‘Where is he?!’ – Emmanuel Petit urges Manchester United to ‘help’ struggling star

Manchester United and Erik ten Hag must do their part to help Marcus Rashford on and off the pitch if the player is to regain his best form.

That is the opinion of Emmanuel Petit who believes the United and England star must seek help from his club in order to overcome a ‘difficult time in his private life’.

Rashford endured a poor season in 2023/24, scoring just eight goals and making six assists across all competitions, compared to the campaign before where he recorded 30 goals and 10 assists.

His lack of form cost him a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad and the forward has now been left out of Lee Carsley’s first Three Lions side following an anonymous start to this season.

The 26-year-old’s struggles were underlined by a number of off-pitch issues, including missing an FA Cup match after being caught on a ‘Belfast bender’.

Discussing the upcoming Premier League clash between rivals United and Liverpool on the Seaman Says podcast, Rashford’s name was mentioned prompting Petit to exclaim: ‘Where is he? Where is he?!’

After it was suggested that the forward needed an arm around his shoulder, the former Arsenal and Chelsea star said: ‘It shows how important it is for clubs to focus not only on the football player but on the human being.

‘The club doesn’t want to interrupt too much into the private life but sometimes they should do because you are under contract, you are earning a lot of money. You are responsible, they are expecting something back from you.

‘For Rashford, I’ve been told he’s been through a difficult time in his private life. We’ve all been through difficult times. You need help.

‘If that doesn’t come from you family, your friends, it must come from the club and you need to share.

‘Arsene [Wenger] was remarkable with us, every time he saw something [not right] before we go into training we’re going to talk about that.’

United host arch rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday, a fixture Rashford has performed well in in the past, with seven goals in 18 appearances against the Reds.

But after struggling in the Red Devils’ first three games of the season, it remains to be seen if Ten Hag will start him again.

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