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Former England international, Paul Gascoigne, has warned Marcus Rashford not to make the same mistakes he did.
The Gateshead-born midfielder was a genius of a player but suffered immensely due to inner demons, with alcohol and drug abuse stemming from mental health issues.
The former Tottenham player claimed that he admired Rashford as a player and did not want to see him go down the same path he did.
In an interview with The Daily Mirror, he stated “I really like Marcus Rashford. He is my favourite England player. But you can tell things are just not right for him right now”.
The Manchester United born player made the headlines last week when he went on a 12-hour drinking session around Belfast and then missed training the next day due to illness.
He was subsequently fined and left out of his side’s FA Cup fourth round triumph against Newport last Sunday.
Nonetheless, the 26 year old was reinstated into the first team in last night’s victory against Wolves and responded perfectly to his critics, with a great finish after only seven minutes of play.
Commenting on the issue during the interview Gascoigne said, “I would say to him, ‘Don’t make the same mistakes as me.’ He may need the help of the players around him, the staff to bring him around. Sometimes there are problems outside the game. He is a great player, at a great club, playing for his country, and yet he doesn’t seem happy”.
“Obviously there is an issue with the manager and he doesn’t even celebrate his goals in the same way. He is down, he is getting fined, like I was at Lazio, it is not easy being in the limelight”.
The former Newcastle player discussed the pressures of top level football and shared his own experiences of struggling to deal with them.
“When I was at Spurs, I found it so hard that I went to see a counsellor once a week, to talk my problems through. As a man, it is sometimes hard to ask for help. Even footballers need it sometimes. Marcus is earning a fortune, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, everyone thinks you do not have a care in the world. But the pressure is not always easy”.
The former midfielder claimed that he has eventually learned to control himself and would urge Rashford to do the same.
Speaking of his own experience he asserted, “I bounced back, and that is what Marcus has to do. What I have learned is, always think about the repercussions of your actions. If you are going to do something, like clubbing, I would say to Marcus, ‘Stop and think, ‘What if this comes out’”.
“Because in the morning, everyone will know where you were. It happens when you are that famous. When I saw where Marcus was, in Belfast, I thought, ‘Last time I was out drinking like that, I ended up in rehab’”.
Whilst nobody is suggesting that the United man has anything like the problems Gascoigne had, it can be a slippery slope and after responding so positively last night, it is essential that the player who has been at the club since a child can stay on the straight and narrow.
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