Louis Saha: ‘Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United future being up in the air is very painful’

Despite an incredible turnaround at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City has been somewhat overshadowed by Ruben Amorim’s decision to leave academy graduates Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford out of the matchday squad.

Club legend Louis Saha believes the situation regarding Rashford is particularly “painful” to see and admits he’s “fed up” watching some of the club’s top players not being focused enough for the job. In an exclusive interview with Betfred, Louis tells us why he wants his former club to consider re-signing Paul Pogba and talks Dan Ashworth’s “irrational” exit, but he starts by discussing Amad Diallo’s heroics in the Manchester derby…

“It’s down to Amad to perform like this week in, week out. He’s got his head down and he really wants to improve and has the capacity to do so. He needs a better understanding with some of his teammates, but his performances and attitude can be a benchmark for some of them to follow. You know that he has quality, but he has courage too and you can see that he’s not fazed. 

“Amad can be a benchmark for his teammates and he knows that he’s got quality, but he’s prepared to work really hard. The only thing that the fans ask for is for Manchester United’s players to approach each game the right way and that’s what Amad’s doing currently.

“It’s sad to see the situation regarding Marcus Rashford. The boy loves United, he wants to remain there, all his family are Manchester United fans, so ultimately I think this is a very painful outcome. It’s hard to see that. 

“Marcus is a big star at Manchester United and to see him missing games due to poor form or a lack of focus is sad to see. We’re watching a talented player go into games with no joy, no smile and the connection with the fans gets lost because of that. I still have faith that Marcus can recapture his best form as long as he can start scoring goals and play with the same level of commitment that some of the other players at the club are showing.

“Regarding his future, I don’t want to see Marcus move to any other club because I have no doubts that his next move would be to a big club and I don’t believe any of them will roll out the red carpet for him. He would still be open to criticism and under a lot of pressure to perform if he moves to another big club.

“He needs to do something about his performances, his approach and he needs to find a way to reconnect with the people around the club again. Whatever he’s doing off the pitch, which is affecting his performances, needs to stop. In some games he plays okay, but he needs to perform for the entirety of the match. People demand a lot from Marcus because he’s so talented and it’s time for him to recognise that he needs to do something to get everybody back onside and make him feel loved again. 

“Marcus is in control of his own performances, his attitude and his body language. You can’t fake it, you have to do it.”

“I don’t believe Alejandro Garnacho’s performances have been bad, so perhaps something’s gone on off the pitch or on the training ground. It would have hurt him to be left out of the squad for the Manchester derby on Sunday.

“I’m fed up with this. There’s players at the club that believe they should be earning more or having a bigger role in the team after a couple of good performances. Managers are looking for dedication, loyalty and commitment from their players and Amad Diallo is an example of somebody currently epitomising what Ruben Amorim will want to be seeing from his players, but regarding some of the others, they’ve not won Champions Leagues, they’ve not won Ballons d’Or, so they shouldn’t expect anything from anybody until they’ve fully proven themselves. 

“Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t given special treatment when he returned to the club, so I don’t know why some of the other players expect it. It annoys me when you see good players who’re not focused. I don’t know whether it's due to their family, entourage, agents or the media, but I can’t understand why this is happening. 

“There’s too many players that aren’t focused enough and don’t understand what they need to do. They need to focus on how they can improve every single day. That’s what they need to do. Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, two players that won Premier Leagues and Champions Leagues, never had any issues with their focus and were never impacted on the pitch by things going on off it.

“The team needs to improve with stronger players that have the right attitude. Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are two individuals that the younger players should look to, but they can also help them out by keeping them in line and protecting them. Some of the younger players believe they’re really good, too early. That’s not right.

“Ruben Amorim’s brutally honest and well balanced. He understands that the communication needs to be right and that he needs to be frank and he needs to be strong. At the same time however, he can’t go around acting like a school teacher because he needs to give the players responsibility and I do believe he will do that as time progresses and more freedom will come. At this very moment, he wants consistency and the basics to be done right. Players doing well for one game isn’t enough. It’s not about qualifying for the Champions League next season or anything like this, it’s about being dedicated and reconnecting with the passion of football.

“Things are coming together and I think on Sunday they were still lucky because only one player was capable of turning the game around for them. Amad Diallo can’t do it alone. Bruno Fernandes can’t do it alone. They need most of the starting XI to be at that level every week and the manager is asking for much more from the players.

“I was very shocked by Dan Ashworth’s exit from the club. They did everything to bring him to the club and they gave him a lot of responsibility, but sometimes things don’t go to plan. However, these irrational decisions aren’t a good sign. Dan’s job was focused on the long term and he’s gone already. Sir Jim Ratcliffe needs to understand that a football club isn’t like any other company and you need a good culture. Sometimes, you need to leave your ego at home and not impact long-term planning with irrational decisions. It’s a dangerous game that he’s playing and it’s not normal. There are people behind these roles and you shouldn’t be making silly decisions based on your ego. This is not the right time for it.”

On reports linking Manchester United with Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic…

“Vlahovic is an experienced striker that knows how to use his body and he would fit in really well in the Premier League. I’m sure clubs are looking at him, but Manchester United already have two big boys. They may not use their bodies as well as Vlahovic, and I think Rasmus Hojlund is on the floor a little bit too much, but they’re two players that are learning. Vlahovic doesn’t need to learn and others strikers such as Victor Osimhen, don't need to learn because they’re physical forwards that use their strength in the right way and they have good football brains. Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t solely need to depend on his strength because his footballing IQ was so good. 

“Rasmus needs to be more relaxed because he tries too much at times and tires himself out. He needs to learn when to use his strength and pace at the right times. Dusan Vlahovic is a top player and was very impressive for Juventus in the Champions League against Manchester City.”

“I would be very happy to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back in the Premier League. His spell at Manchester United proved to everybody that he can manage and what he did during his time as manager was positive for the club. His time at Old Trafford will help him going forward into another job and he would have learnt from having to deal with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and so on. After his break from management, I believe he will flourish at any club once he’s ready to return. 

“The Southampton job? That would be a big challenge. They’re not playing well and conceding a lot of goals, so he will have to depend on the January transfer market if he was to go into that job. I’m sure he could do well though.

“There are reports linking Paul Pogba with a move to Manchester City, but it's a difficult one. An agent, or somebody that doesn’t fully understand the Man City and Manchester United rivalry, would tell him to make that move because it’s a huge club and it could help him get back into the France squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup. 

“I wouldn’t want him to go there because I’m a Manchester United fan and I don’t really believe that the move makes sense for Paul because he’s a loyal guy. At the same time, it’s a huge opportunity for him and I wouldn’t blame him if he took the opportunity because it’s his career. 

“I hope it’s just rumours and I hope that it will make Manchester United consider re-signing him. He’s always been able to provide goals and assists and he’s always had quality. He’s an unpredictable player and I’m sure the likes of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte would love to play with him because he’s able to pick a pass.”

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