Jamie Carragher does not believe Marcus Rashford would improve Arsenal as the Manchester United forward eyes his next club.
Earlier this week Rashford, 27, effectively admitted he wanted to leave his boyhood club by admitting he was ‘ready for a new challenge’.
Rashford, who was left out of the England squad for last summer’s Euros, was omitted from Manchester United’s squad for Sunday’s derby against Manchester City.
Ruben Amorim, who took over at United last month, hinted he wanted to see more from Rashford both on and off the pitch.
Speaking to football writer Henry Winter after his Manchester derby snub, Rashford said: ‘If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse.
‘I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.
‘When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
‘For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.’
Rashford has previously been linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona but it remains to be seen whether clubs of that calibre will be interested in a player who has stagnated over the past 18 months.
Liverpool legend Carragher believes it is time for Rashford to leave Manchester United but reckons he will have to lower his expectation in terms of the size of his next club.
‘I think it’s time for him to move on but I’ve seen things in the papers about Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG,’ Carragher said on Sky Bet’s Stick to Football podcast.
‘It’s Marcus Rashford… am I missing something? He can’t get in the Manchester United team, he’s not even in the England squad.’
Ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville then asked if Rashford would improve Arsenal, who have struggled in front of goal this season and could look to sign a new forward in January.
A surprised Carragher responded: ‘Rashford? No!
‘Oh my god, he had a four-month spell under Erik ten Hag when United were on fire.
‘He’s been a very good player for United and a very good Premier League player, but he’s not [Mohamed] Salah, [Sadio] Mane or [Bukayo] Saka.’
Gunners hero Ian Wright then said: ‘I think he’s got that capability.’
But Carragher again disagreed, adding: ‘He hasn’t! Look, go and sign him… honestly. He’s not even in the England squad.’
Rashford has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances for Manchester United since graduating from the club’s academy.
But former Old Trafford legend Roy Keane also believes a move would benefit all parties.
‘I don’t actually mind what he said, it’s spot on,’ Keane said. ‘Sometimes a deal just works for everybody – it’s been going on for a year or two now.
‘There’s obviously a bit of talent there and he’s been at the club since he was a kid. A change would probably do him a world of good, for him and his team and family to go abroad.
‘My only warning for players like that – he [Marcus Rashford] has all those traits as a footballer. If you lose that hunger, it’s hard to get it back.
‘We know that for great players, it’s nothing to do with money – it’s about the next challenge, and your pride. Marcus seems to have lost his way, and he’s lost his hunger.
‘We’ve mentioned watches and all the stuff off the field, and if he’s a bit distracted by that, it might be hard to get it back.
‘He might get it back with a change of club and scenery, but I don’t think he’ll get the hunger back at United.’
While all signs point to a move for Rashford, Manchester United boss Amorim, responding to his player’s comments, said the club are ‘better’ with the forward.
‘I don’t talk about the future, we talk about the present,’ the former Sporting Lisbon boss said.
‘This kind of club needs big talent and he’s a big talent, so he just needs to perform at the highest level and that is my focus. I just want to help Marcus.’
Asked about Rashford’s desire for a ‘new challenge’, Amorim said: ‘I think it’s right. We have here a new challenge, it’s a tough one.
‘For me it’s the biggest challenge in football because we are in a difficult situation and I already said this is one of the biggest clubs in the world.
‘I really hope all my players are ready for this new challenge.’
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