Premier League legend Alan Shearer has stuck to his guns over criticising Marcus Rashford after the Manchester United star scored against Southampton.
United beat the Saints 3-0 on Saturday with the England international bagging the second goal of the day as Matthijs de Ligt and Alejandro Garnacho also got on the scoresheet.
It was Rashford's first goal in 189 days and he has been met with plenty of criticism over the past 12 months.
So much so that, according to The i, Rashford has felt 'bullied' by former players-turned-pundits as he missed out on the England squad for Euro 2024.
Alan Shearer has doubled down on his opinion on Marcus Rashford
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But Shearer, who has criticised Rashford in the past, has doubled down on his opinion while speaking on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football Podcast alongside Gary Lineker and Micah Richards.
Lineker said: "We talked about Rashford - and there's been a little bit of a leak that says that Marcus Rashford's not happy with the criticism that he's been receiving.
"They think it's a bit unfair - particularly from ex-players, ex-Manchester United players as well.
“You've been one of them Alan, we covered it shortly because we never have that much time on Match of the Day. What do you think?"
Shearer replied: "I wouldn't change anything that I've said.
“He's set his own very high standards, you know? He's a very good player - he's on a huge contract at Manchester United and he hasn't played as well as he can do or has done in the past.
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“And when that is the case - at a big football club when you're a big name - you're going to get criticised.
"And he did - but he doesn't get criticised for performances like yesterday, you know? When he's tracking back and running, and taking players on and scoring his goal.
“He looked a really good player [against Southampton]."
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Marcus Rashford scored his first goal of the season on Saturday
PA
Rashford scored 30 times and made 11 assists in 56 appearances in 2022/23 but the following season, he netted just eight in all competitions as he struggled for form.
And Newcastle and Blackburn icon Shearer, who has scored the most Premier League goals in history with 260, had a simple solution for the United star.
“He's now got to do that for the rest of the season,” he said, referring to his performance at St Mary’s.
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"There was a reason I said it last night. There's a reason why he wasn't in the England squad.
“It's not just the pundits who were critical of him. Other players have overtaken him from where he was a couple of years ago and there's no doubt that there's the talent in there, but that has to be a regular.
“That has to be every single week, and not just against Southampton as it was. And then he won't get criticised. Pretty simple isn't it?"
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