Rashford reflects on injury, likely out for three months with operation

This has probably been a week that Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford would like to forget but unfortunately the news only gets worse.

After enduring racist abuse after his missed penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy on Sunday, it was announced today that Rashford may not be available for United until the end of October due to a lingering shoulder muscle tear. (The Athletic)

He underwent a scan on Tuesday and a decision was taken that surgery was the only option. However, it is understood the operation will not take place for a couple of weeks. It is likely he will be out of action for 12 weeks but has an outside chance of returning for United’s Premier League match against Liverpool at Old Trafford on 23 October.

United have yet to release a statement on Rashford but it has been an injury he played through the majority of the season and the European Championship.

The silver lining in the story is that Rashford’s England team-mate Jadon Sancho had a medical at the teams training facility as his £73m move to United from Borussia Dortmund edged closer.

Sancho will be more than capable of filling the space left by Rashford.

Rashford, who picked up the injury in November while playing for Manchester United, said to The Athletic:

“It’s either an operation or I don’t get an operation. I’m not 100% sure if I need it yet. I’ll just take it as it comes. I’ll finish strong here and I’ve got a few weeks off to relax and decide what I’m going to do.”

He added that he was unsure how long he could be out for:

“The doctors have not said yet. The reason I don’t know is that when the season was going, and before I came here, I knew there was no chance I was going to be getting the operation.

“I did not know how long the operation would put me out for. I never bothered to ask. When the tournament is finished I will ask.”

Rashford was also open about his indifferent form:

“I am not performing at my best. It has been going on since early on in the season.

“I managed to get through the season with United. I think I had 36 goal involvements so I can’t look back at the year and say: ‘Mmm, I should have taken time off to do this and do that.’ That’s just not the way I look at things.”

“I just want to be available for every game.”

Rashford scored 11 goals in 37 Premier League appearances last season but did not make a significant impact for England at Euro 2020. It adds frustration to the timetable of his return that he did not feature much in the tournament he delayed treatment for, but this gives him a bit more time off after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the final. With Sancho coming in there is less reliance on Rashford’s playmaking expertise, and he can rest easy knowing he will come back into a team primed to compete for silverware.