(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, July 16 (IANS) Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham let his feelings towards Marcus Rashford's potential move to FC Barcelona known and described the episode as "soul destroying".

As per reports, Barcelona is Rashford's preferred destination but Sheringham believes Rashford does not deserve the step up.

"If you assess where Marcus Rashford is at, as a professional footballer, you strive as a youngster to get to the very top and play for clubs like Manchester Utd, and when you're there, you appreciate it. You don't throw it away and say you want to leave,” said Sheringham to Sky Bet.

The former Man Utd man also compared the situation to Pierre Emerick Aubameyang's who left Arsenal after a falling out with Mikel Arteta and joined Barcelona.

“I find the whole episode very soul-destroying, compared to the way I was back in the day and how I strove to get the privilege to play for such a huge football club hear someone talking the way he is talking, saying he wants out - I didn't like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doing that at Arsenal, I thought it was soul-destroying, and I hope Rashford doesn't get the move that he's hankering for. From my perspective, if you go from Manchester Utd to Barcelona, that's a step up that he hasn't deserved,” he added.

Rashford had made 15 Premier League appearances for Man Utd in the 2024/25 season and also scored in head coach Ruben Amorim's first match - a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on 24 November - before adding two more in a 4-0 win over Everton a week later. He had not played since being left out of the squad for the Manchester derby on December 15, after a falling out with the Portuguese head coach, before signing for Aston Villa on loan in February.

Manchester United are struggling in the transfer market given they need to clean house before looking to spend big. With players like Antony, Jadon Sancho, Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho having made it clear they want to leave Old Trafford this summer, Sheringham believes United's inability to sell is due to other clubs knowing United's position.

"It's very easy to spend money on players, but it's hard to recoup it. It seems quiet, but I bet there's lots going on behind the scenes at Manchester Utd. Other clubs know Utd's position. They've made it known that they're looking to sell around five players, which signals to other clubs to make them ridiculous offers,” Sheringham said.

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