The ‘Prince’ of Manchester United Marcus Rashford who everyone hopes will stand up now

Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 11:15 pm• Tom Rofekamp • Last update: 22:56

Marcus Rashford flew into top football like a comet in 2016. The then eighteen-year-old youth exponent of Manchester United turned football-loving England upside down in his Europa League, Premier League and Three Lions-debut finding the net. This season, however, the attacker suddenly seemed to have lost his shine. Fourteen goalless games in a row left United fans despairing, but goals in the last two games brought another glimmer of light on the horizon. Is going the Prince of England save this United after all?

By Tom Röfekamp

It is not the year of Manchester United. The still record holder with twenty Premier League titles is currently in fourth place in the highest English league. This would qualify United directly for the Champions League, but that also seems to be the highest achievable, after having played only 22 league matches. With nineteen points behind leaders Manchester City, the league title seems a utopia.

A visibly disappointed Marcus Rashford after Liverpool’s 0-3, during the 0-5 blowout at Old Trafford (October 2021).

Since the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the end of November, United have risen three spots – the game under successor Ralf Rangnick is still not to be watched. Despite the gigantic transfer expenses of recent years, it looks faded and uninspired. Every now and then the Portuguese delegation of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes shows a touch of her class, but few players escape the sporting malaise at United. While some are expected to take things in tow.

Enter: Marcus Rashford. At his age, the 24-year-old attacker already has 288 appearances, 93 goals and 57 assists for the club to his name. Since his entrance on the highest stage, Rashford has emerged as ‘the future of Manchester United’, but seemed to have lost track for a long time this season. He looked more indecisive, lacked the courage to take action and no longer terrified defenders like he used to. “Everything seems to take effort with him,” concluded BBCanalyst Alan Shearer after the FA Cup game against Aston Villa (1-0 win). “I haven’t seen him smile in a long time,” added former United forward Dion Dublin.

Marcus Rashford in all competitions*

2020/21 2021/22
57 duels 15
21 Goals 3
12 assists 1
126 Minutes per G/A 212
2.7 shots 2.7
1.3 Shots on target 0.9
1.3 Opportunities created 0.7
5.7 dribbles 4.7
2.7 Rounded dribbles 1.8
0.35 Expected goals 0.25
0.11 Expected assists 0.13

Source: Stats Perform. * The above statistics are based on the period up to and including the game against Aston Villa on January 10, 2022.

The statistics confirmed Rashford’s struggles. Compared to last season, the attacker needed almost twice as many minutes per goal or assist (212 versus 126). He shot at goal just as often (2.7 times per game), but a lot fewer attempts ended up between the posts (0.9 versus 1.3). Rashford did not compensate for that with other offensive contributions either: the youngster created almost twice as few chances (0.7 against 1.3) and used considerably fewer (successful) dribbles. (4.7 (of which 1.8 passed) versus 5.7 (of which 2.7 passed)). What was wrong with the former crown prince of English football?

Charity Work
People began to speculate about the cause behind Rashford’s struggles. People at United know it according to GOAL to his charitable work, for which Rashford was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) royal award by Queen Elizabeth at the end of 2020. Rashford’s frequent efforts against social abuses, such as illiteracy and hunger among the poorest, would distract him from getting as fit as possible. Intimates of the attacker immediately disproved that. They ensured that all campaigning and commercial activities off the field were carefully managed. Rashford himself also drew a clear dividing line: interviews at Carrington (Manchester United’s training complex) could only be about football.

Speaking of Carrington, he was often there. Very often. At the start of the season, Rashford had surgery on his shoulder, which forced him to rehabilitate for three months. Sources told ESPN that Rashford was at the club every day from a quarter past seven in the morning until seven in the evening to work on his fitness. There was no doubt within United’s medical staff about his dedication; being distracted didn’t seem to be the cause of Rashford’s sporting decline.

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In retrospect, Rashford “maybe not to go to Euro 2020,” he wrote on Twitter at the end of July. He acknowledged that he had played too long with his shoulder problems and should have put himself and his fitness first. Rashford made a total of 57 appearances across all competitions last season; he had never reached a higher number.

Since his debut for Manchester United, Rashford has consistently been one of the most used players every year. In his first full season for the club (2016-17), then-manager Jose Mourinho did not call on anyone more than him: Rashford made 53 appearances. The following seasons, the counter stopped consecutively at 52, 47, and 44 – the latter number even despite a five-month back injury. Rashford has a knack for pushing himself to the limit, and beyond. At such a moment, the attacker becomes the victim of his own performance drive/will to give everything, looking at the situation last summer. Treating injuries instead of treating them properly can increase their permanent damage. It could be a reason for Rashford’s startup problems this year.

Position
Celebrating Rashford’s most productive season to date (2019-20 season: 22 goals and 12 assists in 44 games), the attacker said he prefers to be on the left wing, in an interview with The Independent. It was the position where Rashford was invariably posted that season. This year is different. Solskjaer has already regularly rotated the filling of vanguard positions in the search for the perfect system, which has seen Rashford regularly find himself on the right wing or in the striker. Rangnick’s entrance didn’t change that much. The German shot to fame in his native country with his 4-2-2-2 system, in which the wingers gave way to two attacking midfielders. The system was introduced immediately upon Rangnick’s arrival in England.

Rashford struggles past Crystal Palace’s James Tomkins in the first game under Ralf Rangnick (December 2021).

In the first two Premier League matches under Rangnick, Rashford started as a striker alongside Ronaldo. Against both Crystal Palace (1-0) and Norwich City (0-1), United took home the three points, but Rashford was unable to make a fist. The following game, against the last player Newcastle United (1-1), he stood next to Fernandes as an attacking midfielder. After another disappointing performance, Rashford dropped out of the starting lineup, only to start against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. That also marked the first game in which Rangnick played with the ‘Solskjaer system’ 4-2-3-1. Rashford started in his favorite position, but left the field after 86 minutes with his head bowed after another lackluster performance.

So to attribute Rashford’s struggles to the trainer’s changes of position seems too shortsighted. He has scored three of the five goals he has scored so far this season as a striker or right attacker. And don’t forget that as the most central man, Rashford caused a furore in his debut season. As a center striker, at the end of the 2015/16 season, he was able to conversion rate (percentage of goals to shots) of 56 percent: no one in the Premier League could top that.

Rashford scores on his Premier League debut against Arsenal (3-2, February 2016).

It seems more like a tactical consequence, or simply bad luck. And that’s not so strange, looking at the state of Manchester United. Rangnick hasn’t found the key to success either, so why should Rashford have it? The fact that some United supporters started cheering when he left the field after the most recent FA Cup game will be more general frustration than personal resentment. Rashford is at the heart of the following, as the group of fans who quickly silenced the cheering part also proved.

Rashford has not yet regained his starting spot at United, although the late 1-3 against Brentford and the winning goal against West Ham United (1-0) offer a lot of perspective. The attacker was also accused of a form crisis in September 2019, and responded with his best season to date. When the past repeats itself, fans of the Red Devils what they’ve been craving for so long. Prince Marcus Rashford freeing Princess Manchester United.