According to Melanie Maynard, forward Marcus Rashford has been facing personal struggles. Two close family members passed away, and his son has been negatively influenced by certain individuals.

This season, Rashford has faced criticism for his inconsistent performances at Manchester United and his personal life. He previously attended a 12-hour-long drinking party in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in January 2024.

In an article published on March 18 in The Times, Maynard revealed that Rashford’s son has had to grapple with the loss of two loved ones in the past two years. Maynard emphasized that Rashford’s pаin has contributed to his issues both on and off the field.

“In November, Rashford lost the second important person in his little boy’s life: his cousin Nathan. A year before that, a very good friend of the family, Garf, also passed away. This setback affected Rashford deeply. A young person had to face so much,” Maynard wrote. Maynard then recalled Rashford’s exceptional performance with 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 matches across all competitions last season, including 17 in the Premier League, six in the Europa League, six in the League Cup, and one in the FA Cup. She emphasized that Rashford had worked hard to earn a new contract from Manchester United, the club he has been with since childhood. “Rashford loves Manchester United,” she wrote.

This season, Rashford has recorded six assists and eight goals in 35 matches across all competitions, including seven goals in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup. Amid his dip in form, he was also found to have visited a pub and partied for two consecutive nights on January 24 and 25, but only reported it to Manchester United for one night. Upon returning to the club, Rashford claimed illness, missed a training session, and sat out the 4-2 victory over Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The 26-year-old forward was subsequently fined two weeks’ wages.

“Rashford is human, so he will have ups and downs in life like everyone else,” Maynard continued to defend her son. “Rashford is in a very good place and will never let anyone down. But you always need to be wary of the intentions of those around you – sometimes, the people around you can be wolves in sheep’s clothing. Everything seems to be brightening up after the victory against Liverpool and Rashford’s call-up to the England national team.”

The victory against Liverpool mentioned by Maynard refers to the quarter-final match of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on March 17, where Rashford scored a goal to help Manchester United secure a 4-3 comeback win against their arch-rivals.

Rashford is with the England national team preparing for friendly matches against Brazil on March 23 and Belgium on March 26. At the international level, he has scored 17 goals in 59 appearances.