Marcus Rashford has been stuck in an impossible situation for some time now. As Manchester United’s poster boy, he has been continuously scapegoated for the club’s fall from grace and held to a standard that none of his teammates have to reach.

But this latest chapter of hate Rashford has had to endure makes it clear that he can’t win. The Manchester United winger was pictured courtside watching the New York Knicks at Madison Square during the international break. In other words, he was enjoying his time off like all regular people do.

To some, this was yet another open invitation to attack Rashford the man, not the player. There was the usual spread of racist dog whistles referring to him as a rapper, assertions that he should’ve stayed to impress a new manager who hadn’t even arrived at the club yet and allegations that he no longer cares about the only club he’s played for.

Yet the most frustrating part of all has been the hypocrisy. Casemiro was also spotted Stateside watching the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Orlando Magic, but there was no mention of his lack of commitment.

And if we zoom out from this latest instance, the double standards gets worse. If Rashford’s helping the helpless in his local community, it’s a PR stunt. If he’s training during the off-season on his own, he’s put the cameras out on purpose. When he speaks up for himself in the media, he’s just trying to save his own back. Whatever setting Rashford finds himself in, his very existence becomes the subject of scrutiny.

Whatever he does, it’s never good enough. The inconsistencies in how he’s judged represent the fragility of how players are held in public consciousness. Two years on from putting up more goals in a season than any United player has since 2013, he’s being treated like a traitor for what he does off the pitch. The way he’s oscillated between “one of our own” to a pariah in real time has been startling to watch.

No player is above criticism, Rashford included. He hasn’t performed to the level this season and he’d be the first to admit that. But most of what anyone says about him has nothing to do with his performances. It’s almost always personal. It’s all about how he looks. What he wears. The optics of his actions are framed in the worst possible light simply because he has become an easy target.

Some supporters talk about him like he’s a lost cause. But instead of actually supporting him, the narrative around his name has long been way too toxic for him to work through.

He deserves much better than this.

@AhmedShooble