Michael Owen Criticizes Rashford: Lessons from a 'Stranded Contract' at Man Utd

Rashford ran off the ball toward the left corner, received it, then stopped – an extra beat, a flicker of hesitation that Old Trafford has seen more than once since the start of the season. Marcus Rashford started 4 of the first 5 Premier League matches, but that does not mean he has been playing well. Michael Owen, the 2026 European Ballon d'Or winner, watched from the commentary area and called it tension: "He plays tightly, lacking the comfort and excitement expected of an attacking player." I did not ask Owen why he thought that. I only watched how Rashford planted his feet on the grass, how he adjusted his laces after every failed touch, and how the match was gradually shifting course right before his eyes. The biggest changes usually begin with a run nobody notices – and that night, I saw one.

The circumstances are not favorable for the 28-year-old forward. Manchester United sit 12th after 5 rounds with just 5 points – a start that even the most optimistic fans can hardly defend. They have won only 1 league match, were eliminated by Brighton 2-3 in the League Cup, and had a 4-0 win in European competition in between. That victory helped the team breathe somewhat, but the playing style is exposing problems that the scoreline cannot hide. The team's fragility amplifies any criticism aimed at an individual.

The real story began in the summer, when Rashford was loaned to Barcelona and Aston Villa following a conflict with head coach Ruben Amorim in December 2026. At Villa, he scored 4 goals with 6 assists in 17 matches. At Barca, the figures were 14 goals and 15 assists in 49 matches. Good enough to play regularly, but not good enough to be kept. Owen said it directly: "He played relatively well but not convincingly enough to sign a long-term contract with a club like Barcelona." That sentence captures the whole paradox of Rashford: a player who is not bad, yet at a level where "not bad" counts as failure.

The crux lies in the financial structure. Rashford earns about USD 400,000 per week – the second-highest wage at Old Trafford. Barcelona chose to invest USD 77 million in Anthony Gordon rather than pay USD 30 million to buy Rashford outright, a valuation gap of nearly 2.6 times within the Catalan club's internal calculations. Man Utd wanted to recover most of their investment, but no club was willing to buy outright when both the transfer fee and the salary were too high. That dual barrier killed both loan-with-obligation deals and sent Rashford back to Old Trafford to fulfil the remaining two years of his contract. In the short term, keeping him means other squad members may question the fairness of the wage ladder – a simmering danger the Red Devils' leadership must manage throughout the season.

In essence, Rashford has become a "stranded asset." A player in his prime, the club wants to sell, but the market cannot absorb him at their asking price. The result: a USD 400,000-per-week wage stays on the books for two more years while his market value keeps depreciating with age. From a purely football perspective, this has shifted from a form issue to a structural problem that no training session can solve. Those who understand this are not all sitting in press rooms. There are revolutions without slogans, only training sessions nobody films – and the fight to reclaim Rashford's value is happening in such a place.

Owen also made a notable prediction about Rashford's position. When Benjamin Sesko recovers and starts as centre-forward, Matheus Cunha will be shifted to the left wing – where Rashford currently plays. At that point, Rashford becomes the "weakest link" in the attack. What deserves attention: this is a predictive judgment, not a reflection of current reality. Coach Amorim still started him in 4 of the last 5 matches, meaning the seat is still there – but it is shaking. If the team keeps sliding in the coming rounds, Rashford's replacement will be the first test of how much patience the coaching staff has lost. His form also directly affects his chances of playing for England while the Three Lions' attack faces fierce competition. That seat could be pulled away right before the winter transfer window if things do not improve.

What most media outlets miss is that Rashford's condition does not entirely stem from an unprofessional attitude. He is trapped in a loop: wanting to leave but not being allowed to; being labeled the "weakest link" while having to prove the value of one of the highest wages in the squad. In football finance, this is called a "deadweight contract" – when a player's wage far exceeds his current market value, making him the hardest player to sell in the squad. Based on my experience following matches, criticism from a former star like Owen rarely creates the problem – it reflects doubts already simmering inside the dressing room. A coach does not need a former Ballon d'Or winner to know who is underperforming in his squad.

Rashford needs a clear signal about his future at Old Trafford – something Man Utd's leadership has yet to say directly. Notably, several facts in this story still await verification from official data sources, from loan statistics to match details mentioned along the way. That also explains why Rashford's story deserves to be followed in the coming weeks. Fans should therefore read Owen's criticism as a signal about dressing-room psychology, rather than a final verdict on the player's value.

The remaining two years of his contract will be a special test. If Sesko returns and Rashford is pushed to the bench, the "weakest link" story will become a self-fulfilling prophecy, pushing his value further down the transfer market. If instead he uses the next 3 to 5 matches to reclaim his position, the story will take a different turn. Football never closes with a neat ending – it only waits to see who touches the ground first. And that, as always, can only be seen from the runs nobody notices.