Marcus Rashford kicked off his professional career by seizing unplanned opportunities that came his way. Now, he has been given an unexpected opportunity that could have a significant impact on a pivotal period in his life as well as the fortunes of his club. This opportunity has come about as a result of an unexpected circumstance.
When he made his illustrious debut nearly seven years ago, it was because there was an extreme striker shortage at the time. He not only scored twice on that historic evening, but he also did so in the game that followed, which was played against Arsenal. According to what they say, the rest is history.
Since making that breakthrough, Rashford has been judged, perhaps unfairly, on his attacking output while wearing the Manchester United shirt. His success has been largely determined by whether or not he has found the back of the net in a match. Since making that breakthrough, Rashford has been judged on his attacking output.
Rashford was never intended to be more than a short-term stopgap in attack; however, due to the qualities he brought to the forward line, the team quickly came to rely on him in an essential capacity. Although it is not always about the goals he has scored or the assists he has collected, that is frequently the thing that has remained the thing that has defined him.
The goal contributions of the 25-year-old have always had a tendency to come around as a result of the other things he has been doing right on the pitch, and it is no coincidence that the goals are now flowing since he regained his confidence playing for Erik ten Hag. His goal contributions have always come around as a result of the other things he has been doing right on the pitch.
Rashford has already surpassed the number of goals he scored all of last season despite making only 19 appearances under the new United manager. He has scored eight goals. The thing that has changed about him is not his ability; he has always had that. What has changed is his general demeanor, and the fact that he is now obviously happier and a lot more confident while he is out on the field.
In an interview with Sky Sports from a month ago, he stated that "it's a completely different energy around the club and the training ground." "That puts me in a better headspace, and I just feel so motivated right now," she said. That was the area in which I was having the most trouble.
"There were times when I was having trouble with more mental issues. It wasn't really my performance that was the issue, but rather other things that happened off the pitch. That is the most notable change compared to the previous campaign.
"I get that it's your job to speak about what happens on the pitch, but for the players, we need to get into the right headspace for every game. I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way.
"During the course of the previous season, I didn't put enough mental preparation into each game. Some of the things that were going on didn't catch me off guard, and that's okay.
Goals are a natural by-product of everything else that he has been doing right on the pitch this season, and with Rashford looking so revitalized, he might be set to benefit again from Cristiano Ronaldo's departure this week. Goals are a natural by-product of everything else that he has been doing right on the pitch this season.
In order to help offset the impact of his departure, United will look to sign a new striker during the transfer window in January, but they will also expect the England international to step up and begin performing consistently in a central role.
The peculiarity of Rashford's play this year is that only one of his eight goals has been scored while he was playing in the position traditionally reserved for center forwards. The other seven goals have all been scored either when he started out on the left wing or switched to that position during the course of a match.
Rashford has always been at his best when used on the left side of the attack because this position enables him to run at defenders and take advantage of space with his direct dribbling style, which is something he rarely gets the opportunity to do when he is used as the primary attacker.
However, with his thumping header against West Ham, we saw his raw goalscoring instinct, a player capable of leading the line and being the main man for his side. Although the majority of his goals this season have come from counter-attacking opponents, the majority of his goals this season have come from opponents.
His best season came under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, when he scored 17 goals in 31 Premier League games. The majority of those goals came from the left wing of the attacking formation. It should come as no surprise that he has found this potency when playing with freedom and a love for the game, both of which stem from the careful management that his manager has provided him throughout his career.
United should only look for a new striker during the January transfer window if they can make a deal that is beneficial to them and adds genuine value to the team. However, there is no assurance that this will be the case, so they should not make any rash decisions.
However, one thing that is certain is that Ten Hag will look for more from Rashford in order to help alleviate the loss of Ronaldo, which is a challenge that he appears to be ready for.
Once again, Rashford is the short-term striker solution, and this may be the point at which he comes the closest to being the club's long-term answer as well.
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