Marcus Rashford would be taking “the easy way out” if he was to leave Manchester United, says former England winger Chris Waddle.

The United forward said on he is “ready for a new challenge” after being asked about his future at the club.

Rashford has struggled to find consistent form over the past 18 months and was dropped from the squad for Sunday’s derby which United won 2-1 against Manchester City.

The 27-year-old has been linked with moves to European giants Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

“We know he’s a talented footballer,” Waddle told BBC Radio 5 Live. “He’s been playing a lot of football over the years for arguably the biggest football club in the world, so if you want a challenge – do you not want to put Manchester United back on the map? There’s no bigger club than United in my eyes globally.

“Just because you’ve got that talent, it’s what is upstairs. Why would somebody splash out £100m for somebody who you don’t know what you’re going to get? And if you upset them a bit, you’re stuck with a player on a big contract worth a fortune.

“He’s got a challenge in front of him where he could roll his sleeves up and say: ‘I’m becoming a United legend here – I want to get this club back to where they should be’. That’s the challenge, not ‘I want another challenge’. That’s the easy way out.

“With his ability, he should be winning games for Man Utd nearly every week. He should be unplayable.

“You’ve got a new manager who’s trying to get a bit of rhythm going – after a great win at Manchester City for them. He should be thinking ‘I want to be part of this, I can see something happen here and I want to get in that team’.

“I wouldn’t pick a player who’s not in the right frame of mind.”