Has Rashford turned a corner in his Manchester United career?
The Manchester United forward must transition into a reliable goalscoring forward option this season
In the aftermath of the Marcus Rashford goal that turned out to be the difference maker against West Ham, there was an intriguing dialogue amongst United coaches.
As seen in a video released on Tik Tok (Manchester United (@manutd) Official TikTok | Watch Manchester United's Newest TikTok Videos) on the club’s official account, ten Hag seemed to engage in celebration with coaches Mitchell Van der Gaag and Steve McClaren pointing towards that the goal that just occurred was one that was worked on at Carrington. Van der Gaag then shouted over to Benni McCarthy in a gesture that looked to be accrediting him with a part to play in the match winner.
There were many question marks over the appointment of Benni McCarthy as coach due to his lack of coaching experience outside of his native South Africa, apart from a brief spell as an assistant manager in Belgium’s top flight.
As a player his legacy is often misrepresented, largely as a result of a disappointing spell at West Ham towards the end of his career. In actual fact McCarthy during his prime was an extremely effective traditional number nine with his goals being a part of firing Jose Mourinho’s Porto to a Champions League victory in 2004. As well as this, during his first season playing in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers, who were then participating in the UEFA cup, he scored an impressive 18 league goals and 24 in all competitions. The South African international went on to score a total of 37 Premier League goals with 36 of them coming inside the box. A traditional number nine who knew where the net was.
The movement of Rashford to attack the ball at the back post and direct a powerful header past Fabianski has certainly been a weakness in his game over the last few years. There are many contradicting sources over Rashford’s height, but he very regularly has an advantage over his opposing full back.
It has come to the point in Rashford’s career where he must transition from a 10-15 league goals a season player to a 15-20 league goals a season if he wants to play an integral part in ten Hag’s future United side. Scoring the ‘ugly’ goals has got to be a part of his game. In previous eras these sorts of goals were only associated with the poacher up front, however the development of goalscoring wingers in the modern game has seen the likes of Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mane and others reach the 100 club in the Premier League by adding this type of goal to their game.
At the age of 25 he has now reached an age where he doesn’t receive the forgiveness of fans that young players receive when developing. In order to be a successful team, Manchester United need a consistent front line and Marcus Rashford must adapt quickly if he wants to remain a part of that. There is a new feeling amongst the club, stemming from the manager, that Manchester United won’t carry any passengers this time, something they have been accused of doing in the past. An era that has seen many young prospects quickly enter their prime in no better position than they were in the few years previous.
Many times last season not only did the actual ability of Marcus Rashford come into dispute but also his mentality on the pitch and in particular his lack of intensity while playing. Successful Manchester United teams have been built on a foundation of breath-taking intensity and speed and the Old Trafford faithful demand no less today. It felt like there were numerous occasions per game in the nightmare year of last season where there would be deafening cries from the Stretford End on a refusal of many United players, which included Rashford, to drive forward with the ball or becoming too lacklustre out of possession.
The qualities that made the Theatre of Dreams fall in love with the local boy was built upon the saying printed on the neck of the matchday shirts. ‘Youth, Courage, Success’ and Rashford embodied it with his fearlessness to run so direct at more experienced opponents. The buzz around the stadium reaches a whole new level when an academy product bursts onto the scene with such a direct style that is often coached out of players to become more efficient.
On the other hand, one of the most prominent examples of the evolution of a young player is Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, it is unfair to compare any player to such a great of the game, however it is clear that Rashford can take pieces of inspiration from his peer. There was a point in time where Ronaldo recognised in order to maximise his contribution to team success, he would have to become a master of the most common ways to score in football. What followed was a player who had become one of the best we’ve seen at movement within the box and finishes within the box when earlier in his career his focus was on skills and fancy finishes.
Ideally, Rashford will be able to maintain that level of excitement that can raise the atmosphere within a stadium, while also adopting and developing attributes that convert him into an efficient machine that can win games for Erik ten Hag’s side. After all, a header from six yards out, a thirty-yard shot into the top corner and a tap into an empty net all count as one goal on the scoreboard.