Confirmed : s there a new deal? Marcus Rashford should defy Manchester United's decision to keep him

 Manchester United are expected

 to offer Marcus Rashford a new 

contract, but he should leave 

while he still can.

Despite the World Cup being held 

in Qatar, which has been marred 

by allegations of bribes, slave deaths, 

and boycott threats, it is a tournament

 that England footballers cannot 

afford to miss.

Following their semi-final appearances

 in Russia and the Final of the Euros 

last year, momentum and logic would 

suggest that England have a good 

chance of winning it all.

They have a seasoned tournament

 manager, one of the finest attackers 

in the world, and incredible squad 

depth (in most areas, anyway).

Not being in this England squad 

would mean missing out on the country's

 greatest chance of winning a World

 Cup since 1966.

That will worry Marcus Rashford. He 

has been a near-constant in Gareth 

Southgate's squad for nearly five years but was 

left out of the most recent round of 

internationals.

Time for Marcus Rashford 

to leave his comfort zone

There have been numerous theories 

as to why Marcus Rashford's form 

has dipped so significantly for United

 this season.

He doesn't work hard enough; he's 

just not that good; he should have

 STUCK TO FOOTBALL; he's been 

injured; it's the manager's fault; it's Cristiano

 Ronaldo's fault; it's the club's fault; 

etc.

Many of those elements, like others

, will have played a role. But there's 

no denying that his form has 

deteriorated, and he wasn't deserving

 of a spot in the England squad.

He had 36 goal assists in 57 games 

last season, but only seven in 26 this

 season. He's having trouble, as are 

most United players.

Old Trafford has been described as 

a jail, with United players weathering 

captivity in the knowledge that the 

rep's time in the foreign service will 

arrive soon enough.

The thick shirts with three lions emblazoned

 on them that David Beckham wore 

now include a red devil to weigh 

Rashford and his teammates down.

Both Marcus Rashford and his teammate

 Luke Shaw, who indicated this week 

that he prefers playing for England 

over United, are expected to be granted

 new long-term contracts.

United's hierarchy considers them part 

of a 'critical group of core players' they 

want to preserve. And, in a pathetically

 typical move from the club, they are 

willing to proceed with those contracts 

without the agreement of the incoming

 permanent manager.

Rashford should not sign the contract. 

He only has to look at what has occurred

 to Jesse Lingard, who forfeited his

 chance to compete in the World Cup 

by staying at United.

Rashford, on the other hand, may 

not be in the same boat. The new 

manager may immediately reintegrate 

him into the club, assigning them 

him to a position and playing style

 that he prefers.

He could return to the England squad 

if he scores a lot of goals at the start 

of next season. But it's also possible 

that the new manager may not gel with

 him and will bring in new players, 

putting Rashford out in the cold after

 signing a lucrative new contract.

The new United manager can give 

Marcus Rashford all the assurances 

he wants. But when it comes to the 

crunch – poor form, a lack of goals, 

whatever – that new boss is less 

likely to be in Rashford's corner.

Rashford's departure from United 

will be difficult. As a professional footballer

, the club is all he's ever known, 

and leaving creates uncertainty 

on several levels.

He'd be better off upping sticks 

to get to the World Cup with England; 

in this case, the greater unknown is at home.