Marcus Rashford's Manchester United exit path is now clear on one condition

We have come to expect a level of familiarity when Gareth Southgate names England squads for major tournaments.

The England manager has, or at least had, a solid group of players whom he sees as dependable on the biggest stage and Marcus Rashford seemed to be one of them. However, in a shocking change of heart, the Three Lions will head to Germany this summer without the Manchester United man in their ranks.

This is perhaps the most damning indictment yet of how severe the drop-off in Rashford's form has been this season. Cast our minds back to the 2022 Qatar World Cup and fans of all colours were demanding Southgate to feature the winger more prominently.

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Now, you would struggle to find many who would argue that Southgate has got this one wrong. The silver lining, if you can call it that, is at least Rashford has a whole summer to regather himself and plan his next move.

The 26-year-old recently signed a new contract and United will not openly look to sell the winger but would be open to listening to offers if they arrive. His absence from the European Championships means an exit path is there for Rashford should he wish to take it and ultimately there are benefits to both courses of action.

Should he stay, Rashford would remain a crowd favourite which was evident by the debacle we saw at the last home game of the season. Clearly, he still has the potential to be a key player when in his best form and he has shown that he can reach those heights under Erik ten Hag.

However, we are once again left with questions as to whether remaining at United is conducive to his wellbeing. Some have argued that Rashford may need a fresh start elsewhere to discover the consistency which he has been lacking.

Ultimately, there is potentially a positive outcome whichever path Rashford chooses and at least without international football, he can come to that decision in his own time.