The Revival of Marcus Rashford

by Jude Cauchi

which includes Mourinho’s Europa league victory over Ajax in 2017.

“Everything of May’’.

Seems Possible During The Month

From a personal perspective, May is a nice month as unofficially it opens the season for a nice summer after the cold and rainy days of winter. From a football perspective, May is also the month where the curtains of an entire football season are closed and significantly, the period during which European finals are decided. Manchester United supporters have had the fortune of witnessing great European finals during this month, in particular victories over Benfica in 1968, Bayern Munich in 1999 which sealed the treble and nine years later the conquest in Moscow over Chelsea which will always be remembered as one of the greatest nights in Manchester United’s glorious history. There have been other more recent triumphs

Conversely, May is also likely to bring some heartbreaks and frustration for the losers of the competition. The 26th May 2021 was the last time Manchester United competed in a European final and despite being heavy favourites to lift the trophy in Stockholm, a very poor performance by the players and inability to respond to mediocrity from a coaching perspective condemned the Red Devils to a defeat on penalties at the hands of Spanish side Villareal FC. Following this anti-climax, many supporters took their frustration on social media and players like Marcus Rashford were accused of not being fit for purpose. Some people also disgustingly choose to use racial adjectives in order to hurt the player.

A year later following this heartbreak, United and Marcus Rashford experienced another terrible season where both fell so wide off the standards and the expectations at United in 2022. Moreover, Rashford’s penalty miss against Italy in the Euros which played a significant party in England’s defeat in the final at Wembley also made Rashford a target for England supporters and the public in general. Whilst the player was flourishing off the pitch with his determinism to combat poverty and alleviate the underclass, the England International was failing to live up to his expectations as a footballer. People were wondering what had happened to the player who had such an explosive start to his United career. Did the player have other priorities and were the unnecessary distractions off the pitch influencing him? Could Manchester United get the best out of him again or would it be in the best interest of the club to offload him to another club like PSG? These were the questions that needed to be answered. Luckily for the club, the latter option was not taken.

Fast forward to the current season, the 25 year old is having the best time in his United career on the pitch witnessed through his massive improvement in his general performance and goals. In fact, to date, the number 10 has registered 25 goals for the Red Devils. Impressively, during the course of the season, the England International also broke a record of scoring in nine consecutive home games during the Derby win versus City which secured his name in the glory of fame matching the achievement of Dennis Viollet, who managed this in 1959. With regard to the analysis of the goals, stats suggest that Marcus Rashford have become a lethal striker capable of scoring all kinds of goals. In fact, whilst the England International is not renowned for his ability to score heading goals, this season he has successfully headed in 3 goals against Leeds United twice and West Ham. In addition to the goals, the number 10 has also improved his pace, strength, dribbling, layoffs, positioning and shots from outside the box which made him a nightmare for defenders to deal with. The player seems to also be enjoying the confidence of a lion which is not to be underestimated. In terms of injuries, Marcus has managed to keep himself fit and he has made a total of 36 appearances including 29 starts for the team. From this point of view, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that the star has become one of the most important key players in the team alongside Casemiro, Varane and Martinez and long may that continue as United hope to achieve great success this season.

Whilst one must give credit to the player for his resilience combating the heavy criticism and for standing up and silencing the critics, a lot of credit is due to the new manager Erik Ten Hag and former Blackburn striker and current coach Benni McCarthy for the way the player has been managed. Given the impact the duo have had on Rashford, it would be naturally expected that the England International continues to improve and exceed the expectations at Old Trafford.

The development of youth players is part of the folklore and culture at Manchester United and as a result, it makes it sweeter to see a local lad flourishing in United’s colours. Marcus Rashford was born on the 31st October 1997 in Manchester. As a local lad, the English boy joined the Manchester United youth academy at the age of seven and was also quick to burst into the first team which unsurprisingly made the supporters compare him to the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and David Beckham and analysing his current performances, one would not argue against such comparisons.

At the time of writing, as Sir Alex Ferguson used to say, Manchester United have entered the business side of the season with one trophy already in the bag following United’s triumph over Newcastle at Wembley. Manchester United through their sheer determination have also overcome Barcelona at Old Trafford which definitely did not do any harm in restoring back United’s dignity and pride in Europe. In both occasions, Marcus Rashford proved to be a leader and a key player for the team. Manchester United are also still in the FA Cup with a quarter final coming up as well as a slim chance of winning the Premier League. Whilst, I am stopping short from making any predictions, with players like Marcus Rashford at the club managed by Erik Ten Hag, the future looks very bright!