Alan Shearer believes Marcus Rashford is unhappy at Manchester United and is finding out local players are held to a ‘higher standard’ than their counterparts.

The England international cut a frustrated figure as he was replaced after an hour in United’s 1-0 defeat against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday night.

‘I know there’s an unhappy player there,’ Shearer wrote in his column for The Athletic. 

Speaking on Sky Sports on Sunday, Jamie Carragher criticised Rashford for falling short of his leadership duties as a ‘local’ player and suggested his attitude was an issue.

Alan Shearer believes Marcus Rashford is unhappy at Manchester United this season

The former England captain believes Rashford is struggling to cope with the pressure coming from being the local player at United

‘Watching Marcus Rashford last night that was an unacceptable performance for a few reasons. […] I have been a local player and it’s not easy especially when the team is not doing well,’ he said. 

‘For Rashford and myself and [Steven] Gerrard at Liverpool it’s your job to fix it and drag others up with you.

‘Watching Rashford he reminds me of [Anthony] Martial and that is worst possible thing you can say about him. A foreign player comes in and doesn’t really care. Rashford is now looking like Martial.’

As a Geordie who went on to score 206 goals in 405 appearances in all competitions for his hometown club, Shearer knows all about the pressure of representing his local team.

‘When you’re a local player, there is an added expectation because of who you are and what you represent,’ he continued.

‘You provide a link between the club, the fans and the city.’

Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions last season and was rewarded with a five-year deal worth £300,000-a-week in the summer, but has found the net just twice this season. 

And Shearer insisted while a prolonged bad run of form was difficult to take, a lack of effort was intolerable. 

‘One thing that’s not acceptable is not running around, not tracking back and not looking bothered,’ he wrote.

‘That goes for any player, but especially one local to the club.’

Rashford cut a frustrated figure as he was substituted against Newcastle on Saturday

Shearer said he was felt the pressure of playing for his hometown club, as he scored 206 goals in 405 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle

United were dismal in the loss to Newcastle, with Rashford and Anthony Martial singled out for criticism.

The former repeatedly gave away possession and rarely tracked back to help out defensively, while the latter argued with ten Hag after being reprimanded for not tracking back.

The United manager was visibly frustrated with some of his players, whose perceived lack of effort attracted sever scrutiny in the aftermath of the defeat.

Ten Hag declined to discuss Rashford’s performance after the defeat against Newcastle but said he would speak to the England international privately.

And Shearer suggested Rashford’s attitude and his negative body language were cause for concern.

‘Whether Marcus likes it or not, I and many others watching him at the weekend — whether they were Manchester United fans or not — saw a player lacking in desire,’ he wrote. 

Shearer, however, backed him to start scoring again soon and suggested the added pressure on his shoulders was testament of the high standards the forward has set at United.

Rashford’s lack of form is just one of a myriad of problems facing ten Hag. According to Sky Sports, the Dutchman has lost the support of half of the dressing room due to his management style.

Erik ten Hag has reportedly lost the support of half of the dressing room at United 

Players are said to be unhappy with the style of play and have complained about training ‘too hard’ – with some senior players ‘not sure what they are running for’ during sessions.

United are seventh in the Premier League following the loss at Newcastle and five points away from a top-four place.

They host Chelsea and Bournemouth over the next six days, before a daunting trip to Anfield, where they lost 7-0 last season.

United must also beat Bayern Munich on December 12 if they are to have any hope of progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.