“In this mood and this spirit, I think he is unstoppable.”
Erik ten Hag eulogised over the growing influence of Marcus Rashford, who picked up the ball in his own half at the City Ground in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. Nine seconds later the net was rippling. The winger weaved in between the desperate attempts of Remo Freuler and Joe Worrall to halt his relentless running, before he executed a classy finish with his weaker left foot past a helpless Wayne Hennessey. It was another impressive highlight of a scintillating season that has led to the rejuvenation and revival of one of England’s most naturally gifted players.
Rashford has netted 20 goals in 33 games this campaign, including 12 in his last 13 appearances since he returned from the World Cup. It has been a remarkable transformation for a player who looked completely and utterly devoid of any spirit during Manchester United’s calamitous 2021/22 season. His fateful and gut-wrenching penalty miss in the Euro 2021 final against Italy prompted an abhorrent racial abuse. It weighed heavily upon the shoulders of a player who carried this crushing burden into that following season and, ultimately, his football suffered.
Since the supremely talented winger made his professional debut in 2015, last season was his worst for goals scored and minutes played. Every time he stepped foot on the Old Trafford turf he was lifeless. The fans, reluctant to turn on a homegrown prodigy, became disgruntled with a player that had been tipped to be the Stretford End’s new mantlepiece. Paris Saint-Germain were rumoured to be interested in the wantaway winger, who had become a scapegoat for United’s worst domestic year since the tumultuous David Moyes reign. The sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and the strange Ralf Rangnick arrangement meant that Rashford only scored five goals in 32 appearances. He was constantly shuffled across a disjointed frontline and was a shadow of the dynamic, untamable teenager who had exponentially risen to international stardom.