Marcus Rashford believes it is 'silly' to think Spurs and Chelsea will have an 'advantage' over rivals like Newcastle United next season because they are not playing in Europe.
Newcastle will join Rashford's Manchester United side in the Champions League after returning to Europe's top table for the first time in 20 years. Those extra games bring with it their own welcome challenge for Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, who is well-aware his squad needs greater depth to cope with the demands of fighting on four fronts.
Newcastle, of course, have become one of the most intense teams in the Premier League under Howe and former Chelsea manager Graham Potter claimed 'you could see the difference in schedules in terms of one game a week versus the intense period that we have had' after the Blues' 1-0 defeat against the black-and-whites last November. It is worth bearing in mind that Chelsea, who endured their worst ever Premier League campaign, ended up playing just four more games than Newcastle in all competitions.
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One team who did have a particularly packed schedule, though, was Manchester United, who played 62 matches. Rashford's club campaign only finished on June 3 and the England international feels there needs to be 'more time to recover between certain games and at different stages of the season' as he prepares for Euro qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia in the coming days.
With that in mind, Rashford was asked if having extra rest would be an advantage for those teams who missed out on Europe, such as Spurs and Chelsea, who can focus on the Premier League next season.
"It's never an advantage for teams not to be in Europe because they are the biggest games and every player wants to play in Europe," the forward told reporters. "It's as simple as that. You don't want to miss out on Europe to get more rest. That's silly."
Rashford's comments come just a few weeks after pundit Jamie Carragher said an absence of European football had been a 'huge bonus' for Newcastle 'in terms of getting where they are'. The former Liverpool defender has predicted that those extra games will 'affect' Newcastle and see Howe's side drop out of the top four, which will only provide the group with added motivation.
