Marcus Rashford started his eighth season in Manchester United's seniors this summer and if we summarize his career so far, when he is 25 years old, it can be said that he is very far from what is expected of him, from what he can give and from what his potential really showed even then when he got a chance at his youth club in -2015.
He moved throughout the years between periods when he provided small moments of magic and days when he disappeared.
He was a partner in sporting highlights but did not know how to provide continuity.
This is the main reason why Manchester United fans do not know how to digest the period Rashford is currently in since world football returned from the World Cup break.
Since returning with the England team from Qatar, Rashford has scored 7 goals in 6 consecutive games, while also adding two assists, helping the Red Devils to establish themselves at the top of the Premier League, advance to the last 32 of the FA Cup and the semi-finals of the League Cup.
If the previous season was one of his worst with 4 goals in total in the Premier League, now he already has a greater amount in only 17 games, with 18 goals in all competitions including three goals in the World Cup. Apart from the numbers, Rashford again looks fast, intense And full of self-confidence as he was at the beginning of his professional career.In January, he is only seven goals away from the 22 he achieved in 2019/20 in all competitions.
There are several reasons for the fact that Rashford has looked fantastic in recent weeks in particular and the start of the season in general.
The first is, of course, the connection he has with Eric Ten Haah.
The Dutchman who arrived at Old Trafford this summer with the aim of dismantling and rebuilding gives him the reins, showed him that he is building on him as one of the most important players in his team and keeps him short.
When, for example, he was late arriving to pick up the players before the away game against Wolves, Ten Haah left him on the bench, then put him on the grass and the striker returned the favor by conquering him.
Faces were not there, quite the opposite.
Rashford was interviewed after the game and said that discipline is one of the things that has been lacking in the team in recent years.
Rashford with Tan Haah.
Great essay, photo: Reuters
Another reason is health.
Rashford tried to play with a nagging shoulder injury, which he carried for about two years, and decided to undergo surgery immediately after the loss in the Euro final in the summer of 2021 to finally return to full fitness.
It didn't really help.
The shoulder took time to heal, United played badly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tried to keep his job and at the same time figure out where he places Cristiano Ronaldo to keep him happy.
This meant that his playing time was expected to be limited, and when it came, it was when all the pressure was on him to save the team from a loss and that he was not one hundred percent fit.
The arrival of Ralf Rangnick didn't help matters either, and Rashford ended the previous season with tremendous frustration.
In addition to this and perhaps the most important reason of all is the improvement in Rashford's mental state, which reached a low mainly because he was subjected to racist abuse after he missed one of the penalties in the penalty shootout in the Euro final against Italy.
He received harsh hate messages, shut himself up in his house and didn't understand how people didn't remember the fact that he started a campaign to distribute food to poor children during the Corona virus, which earned him a special token of appreciation from the royal house.
As soon as he began to take care of his soul, he also began to show improvement on the field.
By the way, his new celebration after goals where he puts his hand on his temple, is a hint of his mental struggles and how focusing on that has become his priority.
"I feel like I'm more motivated now, I was struggling with mental things that affected my performances," he said recently in an interview.
Casemiro gives love to Rashford.
"He surprised me", photo: Reuters
This period of Rashford is very happy for everyone who loves or is connected to United, but for many of them it raises the question of when it will end, when the fall will come.
On the other hand, it is clear that if he continues in the same capacity in Saturday's derby against City, we may really be witnessing a fundamental change for him and for the club of his youth.
It may be that Rashford should listen to his new friends who only came to United this season and forget the past.
"He can be anything he wants to be, it all depends on him. I know what he gives in training, and I'm always there to help him if he needs advice," said the new world champion Lisandro Martinez.
Casemiro, who played with quite a few great players in his career, added: "I was very surprised to find out what kind of player Marcus is. In my opinion, especially now that I know him off the field as well, he could be one of the 5 best players in the world."
Marcus Rashford 2022/23 — Redemption Season 👊🏻#utdfocusid pic.twitter.com/p8JiiHuD5i
— United Focus🔰 (@utdfocusid) January 13, 2023 Were we wrong?
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
