Rio Ferdinand: Marcus Rashford's spark and fearlessness is being lost under Jose Mourinho

Rio Ferdinand fears that Marcus Rashford has lost his “spark” under Jose Mourinho, saying the Manchester United manager has failed to demonstrate his faith in the young forward.

Ferdinand, the former United and England defender, worries that Mourinho sent the wrong message to Rashford by signing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to play in front of him.

But Ferdinand also insisted that Rashford must take responsibility for his own development and show the “fight” that will convince Mourinho he should be a regular starter in attack.

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“Mourinho has gone and bought Lukaku, he has gone and bought Sanchez,” Ferdinand said. “What message is that sending to this young player? ‘You aren’t my main guy’. That is a way of dealing with it that Mourinho has to take responsibility for.

“But at the same time, and it goes back to the young players of today, has he got the fight in him? You have to put it on Rashford’s toes then.

“Have you got the fight to say: ‘Hold on a minute, I don’t care who you are bringing in. Sanchez doesn’t know this club like me. I am Man United through and through, these fans want me to play. I am going to be determined to make sure this manager knows I am going to get my foot on that pitch as a starter. Not as a sub.’ You ask any player, coming on as a sub - that means nothing. I see that as disrespect.”

Mourinho last week launched a remarkable defence of his management of Rashford, delivering a statistical breakdown of the amount of minutes the striker has played during his time as manager.

Ferdinand, who won six Premier League titles with United, added that he has become concerned Rashford has lost some of the “fearlessness” that made him such an exciting prospect when he broke into the United first team as a teenager.

“He used to come on in games and terrorise and frighten the life out of people,” Ferdinand said. “Now he does not do it as much. I think he is coming on and trying to please everyone. He might be confused on what the manager wants.

“It does not seem that there is that same spark. That fearlessness that was there before. I saw people stand him up in one-on-ones and back in the day he did not look back. He went straight for the jugular. Whereas now, he takes his time a little bit more, he is not as assertive.”

Rashford was suspended for United’s victory over Watford this weekend following his red card against Burnley, but the 20-year-old will be available for Wednesday’s meeting with Young Boys in the Champions League. He comes into the competition having scored two goals in two games for England over the international break.

Ferdinand, a BT Sport pundit, said Rashford will only know he has Mourinho’s full faith when he is given regular starts rather than appearances of the bench.

“If I am sitting there as Marcus Rashford and someone says to me: ‘Do you think your manager believes in you as his main, best striker and will build his team around you?’ I would say no, because I am not starting every game,” Ferdinand said.

“Harry Kane starts every game. Kylian Mbappe starts every game. Wayne Rooney started every game. Michael Owen started every game. You can bring me all the minutes in the world, I don’t care. I can come on 10 minutes every game, I want to walk out on the pitch as the starter.

“That is when you know. You go out there to win every game. You would say: ‘If you want to win every game, gaffer, I should be starting.’ I don’t think it is all Mourinho’s fault, and I don’t think it is all Rashford’s fault. I think there is a balance.

“That is probably where Mourinho is upset, with people saying he has to leave. He must be thinking: ‘Hang on, I am doing it my way and I see this as the right way to develop him’.

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