It's one thing to be an excellent player who keeps proving your critics wrong, and it's another to play under a manager who recognizes your potential and helps you get the very best out of you.
Marcus Rashford is totally in this bracket at Manchester United. coming through the ranks of Manchester United's academy and taking the Red Devils' first team by storm.
All thanks to Anthony Martial's late fitness test that forced manager Louis Van Gaal to call up the then 18-year-old into the Red Devils' side as they were warming up for their Europa League clash with FC Midtjylland. The youngster broke the traveling fans' expectations as he bagged a brace in a memorable debut.
Three days later, he scored against Arsenal before registering another against Manchester City as the Red Devils relied on the academy graduate for goals in Anthony Martial's absence.
Marcus Rashford went on to be an integral member of Jose Mourinho's team following Louis Van Gaal's exit, but it wasn't until Ole Solskjaer's arrival that the England international realized his true potential as a natural goal scorer. Although Louis Van Gaal believes in the player's talents, he never saw him as a natural goal scorer.
A general statement in the world of football suggests that to compete for trophies, you need a 20-goal per season player in your ranks. Erik Ten Hag's perspective about the number 10 concurs with Ole Solskjaer's argument about the attacker's ability to deliver 20 goals a season.
While Ole Solskjaer and Manchester United were on their preseason tour in the United States in his first season as manager, he had Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and a certain Mason Greenwood, whom he claimed was a better finisher than Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. We could all agree that the Norwegian wasn't wrong.
The critics were suggesting that Ole Solskjaer would need to bring in a striker capable of scoring 20 goals per season; this was after the Norwegian sold Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan. The manager, however, gave a shocking response, claiming he already has one in Marcus Rashford.
This was a player whose best goal tally in a season was 14. Ole Solskjaer went ahead to prove this as he set a 20-goal target for the then-21-year-old. News also came out of the Red Devils' camp that the former Manchester United striker was helping him get better with his movement as a striker.
Ole sat down with Marcus last week. "It was all very positive," a source told the Sun.
“It was for about half an hour for a chat about some of the things he wants to see more of from him."
“Ole will be helping him more with his movement inside the penalty area and to play a little closer to goal."
“He has been too reliant on the ball over the top but will now expect more slide passing down the sides of the two center halves.”
Few games into the season, Marcus Rashford was paying back Ole Solskjaer for his faith in him, and the manager didn't back down from his claim suggesting the player can score 20 goals that season.
“He knows he can get loads of goals, but he needs to add the scruffy ones, the tap-ins, like against Liverpool, from two yards," Ole said during a press conference.
“He’s improving all the time, and he didn’t really see those opportunities a year ago." He’s now quicker at reacting and smelling a goal; he sees it’s worth a 40-yard sprint."
"For me, though, I don’t think he should set himself a target of 20 or 25 goals." "Set yourself a target for the next game, the next goal," Ole Solskjaer stated.
Marcus Rashford went on to score 22 goals across all competitions for Manchester United, who were very unlucky not to lift a single trophy that season despite playing several semi-finals and a final.
Fast forward to Erik Ten Hag's first season, and Marcus Rashford is already close to equaling his personal best, a record he set during Ole Solskjaer's time; he is currently on 20 goals, and the second half of the campaign is just kicking off.
That takes us back to Erik Ten Hag claiming the number 10 was a 20-goal-a-season player at the start of the season while he acknowledged Marcus Rashford's movements behind the opposition's defense.
A source claimed that “the manager wants Marcus to be United’s No. 1 striker and lead the line up front.”
“He believes Marcus has the ability to become one of the world’s best and wants him to express himself in matches."
“He is always telling him to use his pace and skills when he gets a chance." He told Marcus he would easily score 20 this season.
“They have a great relationship, and Marcus is really happy.”
Erik Ten Hag also addressed the media after Marcus Rashford started a goal-scoring spree under the Dutch manager. The winger hit a sensational form after the return of domestic football, getting involved in Manchester United's goals every week.
"I said from the start, I said it from one of the first days, that Marcus Rashford is capable of scoring 20 goals in the Premier League only," Ten Hag stated.
"I don't want to pin myself to a number; I don't." Rashy now has five, but he scored many other goals."
"He scored three at the World Cup, so then he has the potential to score those numbers of goals in the Premier League."
Marcus Rashford might not have scored enough goals in the league yet, but he has definitely proven Ole Solskjaer and Erik Ten Hag right with his goalscoring abilities.
If the Manchester United board backs the manager and helps him build his desired team, Marcus Rashford can fulfill his dream of leading the Red Devils' attack and also bring trophies and glory days back to the Theater of Dreams.
Post a Comment