The Manchester United star did not make the cut in England’s 33-man roster ahead of Euro 2024.

What a difference 12 months makes. It’s nearly a year to the day since Marcus Rashford scored his 30th goal of a stellar individual campaign. If not for Erling Haaland’s record-breaking campaign, the Manchester United forward may have been in line for the Player of the Year awards.

A year later, and Rashford is nowhere near the league’s top players. In fact, he can’t even gain a spot in Gareth Southgate’s 33-man England squad.

"With Marcus, I just feel that other players in that area of the pitch had better seasons. It's as simple as that,” was the conclusion of the Three Lions boss, after making a brave yet undoubtedly correct decision.

Rashford has one game left of a hugely underwhelming campaign that has seen him score eight in 42 matches. But the writing was on the wall at the end of last season, when he was already beginning to drop from what could be a career-pinnacle run of form from December to March. But he ended the 2022/23 term with four goals in 17 games.

In many ways that’s emblematic of the Erik ten Hag era at Old Trafford, which has stagnating since winning the Carabao Cup in February 2022.

But Rashford’s excellent performances earned him a new contract last summer, one he deserved. Only the 26-year-old knows for certain what effect that lucrative deal has had on his motivation and desire, but his levels have undeniably dropped since then.

Roy Keane questioned his body language after the second game of the season and at times Rashford has looked uninterested on the pitch. His performances haven’t helped, and too often the wide attacker has tried the same drag back, one that has become increasingly predictable for opposition defenders. The instinctive attacking threat has gone, his one-time precise finishing deserted him, and his link-up play with team-mates has been bordering on non-existent in certain games.

This was all compounded by the decision to attend a Manchester night club hours after the Manchester derby loss in October, while January’s night out in Belfast and non-attendance at training was brainless, at best. At worst, it was a defiant act of rebelling against Ten Hag.

He was dropped for an FA Cup win over Newport County and followed that up by netting the opener at Molineux after five minutes. That was his best point in the season, having netted in three successive Premier League matches.

The second game of that run saw Rashford celebrate his goal against Tottenham Hotspur by making a talking gesture, the implication being there’s too much gossip surrounding him. That may be, and some of the media coverage has been unfair at times, but the boyhood red’s outlook is blinkered. Whether those around him are giving sound advice is another concern.

The decision to pen a first-person piece in The Players’ Tribune also felt ill-advised in the midst of such dire form, with Rashford claiming he had to ‘speak up’ after recent criticism and questions about his commitment to United.

His disastrous Premier League season culminated with an injury and two substitute appearances. It’s not even clear if he’s in Ten Hag’s starting line-up anymore.

Now, Rashford feels frustrated with the club he grew up supporting, disappointed that they would be willing to let him leave for the right price next summer. Ineos want to stamp out the culture of player power that has been too prevalent in the United squad over recent years. Can their Manchester-born star really argue that he deserves to keep his place in the squad?

As for England, Michael Owen claimed Southgate has made a mistake. “Granted he’s had a poor season by his standards but tournament football is different and he’s always been confident in an England shirt,” the former United striker wrote on X. “We’ve many talented attacking players but very few with Rashfords pace. In such a big squad, he was worth the risk.”

It’s an opinion that has gleaned some support on social media, but that overlooks the question of who Rashford should replace and how his 13 goal contributions this season compared to Cole Palmer (42), Phil Foden (38), Bukayo Saka (34), Jarrod Bowen (30) Anthony Gordon (23) and Eberechi Eze (17). Which of those should be dropped to accommodate the out-of-form Rashford?

The exception is Jack Grealish, who has posted just six goal involvements this term and has lost his place in the Manchester City team. But to judge the winger’s game on numbers alone misses the point of Grealish’s involvement and ability to control the pace and flow of games. If he’s good enough for Pep Guardiola, he’ll do just fine for England.

It leaves Rashford in a career nadir - out of the international set-up, lacking form and confidence, and uncertain where exactly he’ll be playing his football next season. Given the complexities of extracting him from United, it’s likely he’ll remain at Old Trafford, where it’s not impossible that Southgate takes the reins. That could present its own challenges.

For now, Rashford should take solace that there’s only way his career can go from its current low. A full summer off and a refreshed and rejuvenated player could pose a real threat once again next season. But it’s more than just a fitness regime that needs to change for Rashford.