Marcus Rashford has revealed why life in England is “difficult”, called Ballon d’Or contender Lamine Yamal “not normal” and picked a dream team featuring Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.
Manchester United forward Rashford, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, named Arsenal record scorer Thierry Henry as his inspiration because of the World Cup winner’s transition from a winger to one of the greatest strikers ever during his time with the Gunners, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls between 1999 and 2012.
“He’s comfortable playing off the left side and in the middle,” Rashford told xBuyer. “He’s a free-flowing player. When I was younger, I always enjoyed watching clips of him and watching him play in the Premier League.
“As I’ve got older, the number nine position is becoming more natural, more comfortable. It’s becoming easier for me.”
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Marcus Rashford: ‘There are so many games’
Rashford spoke to the YouTube pair, who also interviewed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola recently, while training in Marbella.
“It’s difficult because the vacation is getting shorter and shorter,” the 27-year-old said when he was asked about the schedule.
“If you’d asked me six or seven years ago, it would have been different. You had more time to rest the body and mind, whereas now there are so many games that it is difficult to find a good balance for rest and starting to train before you go back to join the team.”
Rashford: Life off pitch at United ‘difficult’
Rashford’s life off the pitch is often scrutinised as much as his performances. In January, United manager Ruben Amorim said the England international had been exiled from his squad for not “giving the maximum every day” and acting “the way I see a footballer should do in life”.
“The best is that we get to do what we love every day,” Rashford said when he was asked about his favourite aspect of his profession.
“The worst is probably the life. In England, it’s difficult – normal things like walking the dog or going to the shops are difficult.”
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Could Rashford join Yamal at Barcelona?
Barcelona are favourites to sign Rashford before the summer transfer window closes, and the United academy product said he would be keen to play with Spain sensation Lamine Yamal, who has already won LaLiga twice and the Euro title at the age of 17.
“It’s difficult to put into words what he’s doing because you’re not supposed to be doing that at 16, 17,” observed Rashford. “I don’t think we’ve seen that before.
“To have [his] mentality is a skill. Everybody in the world wants to play with the best, so hopefully, we’ll see.
“It’s not normal to be able to do what he does. In three years’ time, we don’t know what we’re going to be able to say about him.”
Marcus Rashford ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/bjqr7Uo2d3
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 15, 2025
Ballon d’Or 2025: Dembele, Yamal favourites
Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembele is the odds-on favourite to win the Ballon d’Or in September ahead of winger Yamal, but Rashford believes the scorer of three goals in three appearances for La Roja in 2025 “has to win” if “you look at it just off football ability”.
“If you look at Dembele, he won the Champions League,” pointed out Rashford, adding that his own key ambitions for the rest of his career are to become a European champion and win the World Cup.
“It depends how you see it. I wouldn’t be disappointed whichever of them won.”
Rashford dream team: Messi, Ronaldo make cut
Gianluigi Buffon, Cafu, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini and Roberto Carlos made up Rashford’s defence when he was asked to form a team from his favourite players of all time.
In a 4-3-3 formation, Rashford showed admiration for Barca again by picking club legends Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi, who is currently at the 2025 Club World Cup with Inter Miami.
Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo – a former team-mate of Rashford’s at United – and the Brazilian Ronaldo completed the formidable line-up.
Marcus Rashford contract
United gave Rashford a new contract until 2028 less than two years ago, paying the club academy product £325,000 a week.
Should they want to sign him permanently, Villa’s prospects of a deal will depend on whether they can afford those wages, while Rashford is thought to want to join a club playing Champions League football next season if he leaves United.
The Villans would have qualified for a second consecutive season had they not lost 2-0 at United on the final day of last season, when Rashford was ineligible.
Marcus Rashford stats
The former United top scorer produced four goals and six assists in 17 appearances following his Villa debut on February 9, having become a peripheral figure at United since Amorim’s appointment as manager in November.
Villa manager Unai Emery started Rashford in all four of their Champions League knockout stage matches in 2023/24 and saw him score twice in his final four league starts.
Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice and Ollie Watkins attended the Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn fight in London 🤩 pic.twitter.com/zs0AiZK8PF
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 27, 2025
Rashford’s season ended with a hamstring injury that initially kept him out of Aston Villa’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace on April 26.
Rashford England return
New England manager Thomas Tuchel restored Rashford to the squad for the first time in almost a year when he called him up for his first matches in charge in March.
Rashford started both games, helping England beat Albania 2-0 and Latvia 3-0 at Wembley Stadium to take his total to 62 caps.
His injury is likely to have precluded Rashford from being involved in the World Cup qualifying win in Andorra and friendly defeat at home to Senegal in June, although he appeared to be training freely in clips as part of his latest interview.
United’s Premier League season starts at home to Arsenal on August 17 (16:30 BST).
