Marcus Rashford is has been a fantastic player for Manchester United after graduating from the youth academy. His rise from wonderkid to matured striker, however, has certainly not been perfect. Despite this, he has become one of the best forwards in the Premier League and plays alongside some of the most promising attacking players in the world. United’s attack has blistering pace, and with all of their four first-choice strikers and wingers in their early twenties, it could become an iconic front line, with Rashford leading it.
The Rise of Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford is currently one of the Premier League’s best strikers. He is the league’s joint-second top scorer, with 14 goals currently to his name. At the age of 22 years and 2 months, Rashford made his 200th appearance for the Reds. This happened in their most recent match, a 4-0 thrashing of Norwich City. This made him the fourth-youngest to reach this milestone in the club’s history. On the way, he has scored 64 goals and registered 31 assists, making 95 total goal involvements. These stats are superior to those of both Christiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry at this stage in their respective careers. What makes this more impressive, is that they both played in teams far better than Rashford’s underperforming Manchester United side.
Furthermore, the young Englishman has earned 38 caps for his country, scoring 10 goals. As Marcus Rashford enjoys a personal record-breaking season, it is remarkable to see him playing with so much maturity at such a young age.
Marcus Rashford’s Debut Season
Marcus Rashford debuted in style. His first senior appearance saw him score two goals in a Europa League victory versus Midtjylland during Manchester United’s 2015/16 campaign. To make it even better, he did this in front of a home crowd, but this form didn’t end there. Rashford took his quality into the Premier League, scoring twice and assisting a goal in his first league match. Furthermore, the exciting teenager had a great introduction to the Manchester Derby, as he scored the only goal of the game. He made himself known not just for being a good striker, but also for wonder goals. He burst onto the FA Cup scene with a beautiful strike into the top corner in just his second game in the competition.
New Manager
Louis van Gaal, manager of United during Rashford’s breakthrough season, was sacked at its conclusion. This left the managerial position at Manchester United open, and it was filled by none other than the self-proclaimed “Special One”, Jose Mourinho. Rashford only managed 28 goals in 125 matches under Mourinho. This was partially due to a shift in position. Instead of playing, as he had under van Gaal, as a striker, Rashford played on the wing. The Englishman struggled under Mourinho, and despite his managerial prowess, the former Chelsea boss could not get Rashford to perform at his best. The English teenager may not have played particularly well under Mourinho’s management, but his extensive amount of game time earned him a lot of experience. This has really helped with his development into the striker he is today.
Another Shift in Leadership
Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2018. This paved the way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to become caretaker manager, and then earn his place as permanent boss. The introduction of Solskjaer has certainly brought out more of the talent Marcus Rashford has to offer. The Englishman has the same amount of goals as he did under Mourinho, despite having had less than half of those appearances. Rashford even got his first captaincy recently, leading his side to a 3-1 loss vs Manchester City. The shocking performance in that game made his first match as captain not as enjoyable as he would have hoped, however, this is surely not his last game captaining his boyhood side.
Who Marcus Rashford is Today
Marcus Rashford’s game has come on leaps and bounds since his debut. He still brings the same amount of energy and skill as he used to, but he has improved certain aspects of his performance beyond recognition. Now capable of scoring both clinical and incredible goals, Marcus Rashford has improved so much from his first appearance. He is now challenging for the golden boot and as just a 22-year-old, he looks to have an extremely bright future ahead of him.
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