MY ACCOUNT
Marcus Rashford’s redemption continued on Tuesday night as he scored again for Manchester United in their 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
This followed a successful World Cup for the forward in which he scored three goals for England despite not being a regular starter in Gareth Southgate’s side.
That situation could change for Rashford if his form continues as he bounces back from a poor campaign last season.
But England legend Alan Shearer still has doubts about the 25-year-old and does not see him as the man to solve United’s striker problems.
Ahead of the Red Devils’ next game against Wolves on Saturday, we take a look at Rashford’s chances of becoming the main man at Old Trafford.
Euro disappointment
Rashford’s poor form last season can be traced back to a disappointing summer for England.
At the rescheduled Euro 2020, he came off the bench in the final against Italy in the 120th minute of extra-time.
Tasked with taking a penalty in the shootout, Rashford was one of three English players to miss as Italy triumphed.
Then came the 2021-22 campaign, in which Rashford only scored five goals for United. It was the lowest total of his career and he lost his place in the England squad.
Perhaps the malaise was a hangover from the disappointment of Euro 2020. The fact that the Red Devils had a miserable season under first Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick, did not help.
New start
After such a poor season there was some talk of United cashing in on the homegrown player.
In the summer of 2022, Rashford received a fresh start when Erik ten Hag became manager of the club and gave him pre-season games on his favoured left wing and as a centre forward.
Prior to the World Cup, he scored in the home wins against Liverpool and Arsenal. After his latest goal against Nottingham Forest, Rashford now has ten in 21 appearances this season.
At the World Cup, Rashford came off the bench to net in the opening win against Iran and then started the final group game against Wales, in which he bagged a brace that included a spectacular free-kick.
Rashford’s form may have dissuaded United from signing another World Cup star. Cody Gakpo was linked with a move, but looks set to join Liverpool instead.
Killer instinct
Gakpo is best on the left but can play as a central striker. With Rashford already in the squad and Anthony Martial also fitting that description, it is not hard to see why Ten Hag was not convinced about signing the Dutch star.
There was a hope that Rashford would develop into a striker and he has also been tried a lot on the right of the attack, which is another long-standing problem position for the club.
England hero Shearer had no doubts about Rashford’s best role after the win over Forest.
He said: “I think Marcus enjoys it more, he looks better certainly in the position we saw tonight. He’s been given a little bit of freedom. If he wants to go down the middle at times, he can.
“But when he’s got all that space to run into from out wide, he’s a better player in doing that and he’s very, very good at doing that.
“In terms of him being a centre forward, he lacks the killer instinct, that natural ability to think, ‘Yeah, I’m going to get in there, I’m going to get the two or three yarders’.”
Main man
Shearer may well be right about Rashford’s lack of killer instinct prohibiting him from becoming a centre forward, but that does not mean he cannot still become the main man at Old Trafford.
Inverted wingers can score a lot of goals in the modern game. The academy graduate has demonstrated his ability in that regard, even if he has not shown the consistency needed to take the next step in his career.
Now in his eighth campaign at Old Trafford, Rashford has twice broken the 20-goal barrier and could well do so again this season.
The challenge is to do that year in, year out and perhaps push things even further and record the sort of numbers that Mohamed Salah enjoys at Liverpool.
With the right players alongside him, that could be a possibility. Rashford’s England colleague Harry Kane might bring the best from the winger, while being relied upon to score plenty himself.
In the short-term, Memphis Depay could be a relatively cheap solution, while Martial has played well in the position, when fit.
From Rashford’s perspective, if United can settle on a striker, it will allow him to remain in the role where he operates best.
