Rooney pinpoints Rashford's positional problem as Ferdinand urges Benzema signing

Wayne Rooney has identified a positional problem rather than a physical one as the root cause of Marcus Rashford’s struggles at Manchester United this season, while fellow club legend Rio Ferdinand has urged the club to sign Karim Benzema on a free transfer.

Rashford has gone six Premier League appearances without a goal or assist since returning from his loan spell at Barcelona, and although the 28-year-old withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad during the international break citing an injury concern, Rooney is reluctant to blame fitness for the forward’s lack of output.

“I think the issue is he’s too far away from goal,” Rooney said on the Stick to United podcast. “He’s playing too wide. He’s playing too deep at times. With Marcus Rashford, with good attacking players who can score goals, you want to get them as close to the goal as possible, and I don’t think he’s close enough to the goal.”

United’s all-time top scorer acknowledged that Rashford has shown flashes of sharpness but argued the system under manager Michael Carrick is limiting his effectiveness in the final third.

The striker question looms large at Old Trafford more broadly. Benjamin Sesko is yet to start a league game this season and missed the 1-1 draw with Fulham before the break with a shin problem, which also led him to withdraw from international duty with Slovenia. Matheus Cunha has been used as a makeshift centre forward, with Joshua Zirkzee also available to Carrick.

Ferdinand believes that depth and experience are lacking up front, and has pointed to Benzema as a solution. The 38-year-old former Real Madrid striker has been a free agent since departing Saudi side Al Hilal this summer, having scored 10 goals in 16 appearances for the club.

“If you knew you had to manage his minutes,” Ferdinand said, suggesting Benzema could offer a reliable option to rotate with Sesko and ease the burden on a squad already stretched by injuries.

United return to Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur on October 10, with Carrick also navigating fitness concerns over Bruno Fernandes and Noussair Mazraoui, both of whom picked up issues while on international duty.