Neil Humphreys: Don't blame Mourinho for Rashford
England striker must deliver in Europe to earn regular selection
England strikers are a funny lot. They score a couple of goals at international level and become the Second Coming of Alan Shearer.
Marcus Rashford found the net against Spain and Switzerland and Jose Mourinho found himself in the familiar role of pantomime villain again.
Only this time, he wasn't.
The Manchester United manager had valid reasons for his recent treatment of his erratic forward, but they were lost in the exasperating obsession with the England national team.
| YOUNG BOYS | MANCHESTER UNITED |
Instead, it was all Mourinho's fault. Shearer suggested that Rashford fluffed England chances because he wasn't getting regular club football.
Mourinho's fault.
Jamie Carragher feared that Rashford was becoming another Danny Welbeck, a striker who left United because of a lack of opportunities in his natural position.
Mourinho's fault.
Even Rio Ferdinand claimed that Rashford had lost his ability to "terrorise" opponents. He looked "confused" in trying to adapt to his manager's cautious instructions.
Mourinho's fault.
It's a wonder the Portuguese antagonist isn't marched through Manchester's city centre, before being locked in the stocks so Rashford can thrown rancid tomatoes at him.
In truth, Rashford would probably miss. Mourinho instinctively knows that. But his understanding of the young striker's inconsistency has been buried beneath a lazy, nationalistic narrative.
Once again, a foreign manager is accused of picking expensive foreigners at the expense of a precocious native talent, stalling the kid's career before sending him off to the knacker's yard to join Welbeck and Theo Walcott.
Mourinho's incorrigible behaviour and petulant sniping remain legitimate causes for concern at United, but his handling of Rashford isn't one of them.
The onus is on the 20-year-old striker to prove his worth in the Champions League against Young Boys tomorrow morning (Singapore time), a chance gifted to him, ironically, after his foolish head-butt.
His red card against Burnley, where he did hit the target, just above Phil Bardsley's eye, makes him a certain starter in Switzerland.
Against relative minnows, Mourinho knows he can rest one or two regulars and Rashford must maintain fitness as he completes a three-game domestic ban. His speed should also be an asset on the Stade de Suisse's artificial pitch.
The young striker can convince his club manager of his long-term worth, but recent reports suggest it should be the other way round. Mourinho must somehow honour his commitment to Rashford, England's production line and the Class of '92 ghosts that still haunt Old Trafford.
STATS SHEET
But in this instance, Mourinho's use of Rashford has been more than fair, a point proved when he borrowed from his old mentor, Louis van Gaal, and pulled out a stats sheet at a press conference.
Since Mourinho took over at United, Rashford has started 34 games in the EPL, came off the bench in another 36 and averaged around 52 minutes per game, which sounds reasonable. He's still a kid.
But stats can of course be manipulated to suit any argument. As Carragher pointed out in his rejoinder to Mourinho's stat attack, the youngster has been selected just 12 times as a striker in the EPL.
But whose fault is that?
Carragher laments the stuttering career of an England striker who isn't selected regularly in his preferred position.
Everyone wants to fly, but only a handful reach the stars.
England's tournament failures are undoubtedly a consequence of the EPL's reliance upon foreign talent, but Mourinho can hardly be blamed alone for picking players on merit, rather than passport colour.
Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all lead with foreign strikers, with Harry Kane's Tottenham being the obvious exception, but their coaches aren't subjected to Mourinho-levels of criticism.
The United manager picks Romelu Lukaku over Rashford because the Belgian remains a superior centre-forward. That's it. But even then, the Englishman has still benefited from playing in wider positions.
At the same age of 20 years and 11 months, Cristiano Ronaldo had scored 32 goals for club and country. Rashford has scored 37. Ronaldo had won the Portuguese Super Cup and the FA Cup. Rashford already has FA Cup, Europa League and League Cup medals.
He should be careful what he wishes for, particularly when he doesn't yet boast the consistency that eventually defined Ronaldo's career.
Three Lions obsessives might demand his regular selection, but Rashford hasn't earned it yet. He doesn't need Mourinho to shoot down critics. He needs to shoot down the Swiss side.
Rather than focus on what he can do for his country, Rashford must first ask what he can do for his club.
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