Marcus Rashford Must Find His Feet Fast

If you were to ask anyone remotely familiar with Erik Ten Hag's first season as Manchester United boss, they would likely define Marcus Rashford as the X-factor, the difference-maker, the main man.

Sure, you might encounter the hipsters who identify the Brazilian maestro Casemiro as the true catalyst for improvement with his insertion into the heart of the team. One might even make a shout for Lisandro Martinez, who led the line for a golden-glove-winning back line that finished with a league-best 17 clean sheets. But even those folk will make a mention of United's number 10, whose 41 goal contributions in all competitions made the resounding difference in a team whose goal count severely lacked in comparison to the teams around them. And goals, after all, win games.

Fast forward to the present, however, and Rashford is nowhere near on track to match his output from the 2022/23 campaign. While the counting stats are not the be-all and end-all for analyzing a footballer's performance, one can easily use the eye test when examining Marcus. His dropped head, unwillingness to work off the ball, and increased frequency of passing up on opportunities to attack fullbacks at speed, electing instead to return the ball towards his own goal are all tangible evidence of a drop-off in his form. No Manchester United fan has been left on the edge of their seat by the England international this season anywhere near as many times per game as they were in the early months of 2023; they can only be lying to suggest otherwise.

Rashford plays in a position of relative strength for the club. Alejandro Garnacho broke out last season and looks ready to become one of the best young talents in Europe. Facundo Pellistri is on the rise. Amad Diallo is coming off a dazzling loan spell at Sunderland. Antony, Anthony Martial, and Mason Mount also all appear capable of playing off the left wing if necessary.

With that in mind, one might conclude that dropping Marcus Rashford to the bench if he fails to play up to standard feels like a straightforward solution. Unfortunately, straightforward is not how Manchester United operates.

For one, Rashford earns 300,000 pounds per week. This is third most among the squad behind only the vastly experienced Raphael Varane and Casemiro. Any player on this amount of weekly money almost has to be involved in the team with great regularity. If Garnacho finds his way in and the team starts flying, there would be an ever-present, looming cloud over Ten Hag until Rashford is reinstated. What's more, there's no doubt the club's higher-ups would be sure to leave the manager some friendly reminders that Rashford is now the club's main brand, a continuously precious commodity first and a talented footballer second. This, of course, is the most important factor for the Glazers, who now appear set to stay. Ronaldo is gone; they need Rashford's photos to sell kits.

Now, I feel as though I'm giving the manager too much credit for creating the underlying assumption that there is any sort of potential that he would bench Rashford in the first place. This is the next consideration: no one knows how bad Rashford would have to look before there is any chance that he is removed from the starting eleven. If one thing is clear about Ten Hag's tenure, it is that number 10 is his favorite player.

He doesn't get dropped for performance reasons, a rare substitution serves as a shock, and the strong performances of those waiting behind him in the wings upon their opportunities are regularly overlooked in favor of Rashford remaining a mainstay on the left flank. If you want him out of the team, the manager disagrees. His reasoning for this is relatively consistent each time he's asked: Rashford is always capable of producing a moment of brilliance. Admittedly, this is true. As frustrating as the 89 and a half minutes often are, those 30 seconds where Marcus beats a player and scores in a way that only he is capable of often provide the all-important three points. That, respectably enough, gives Ten Hag plentiful reason to keep picking him.

So, with all this in mind, Marcus Rashford likely isn't going to be dropped. Therefore, onto the next consideration; how does he get back to his best?

Only he knows. It feels as though it can click at any moment. Within weeks, Marcus can go from the center of public scrutiny to the Mancunian hero seemingly on his way to the Balon d'Or. It should take no one by surprise if it happens again; I just don't have the formula or explanation as to how he does it. 

The key may be found in nurturing the growth of his chemistry with his new attacking partner Rasmus Højlund. The pair have already shown great potency despite not quite firing on all cylinders, and the prospect of them finding themselves on the same page proves exciting.

The ominous Manchester Derby also nears ever closer, a stage that may prove perfectly large for Rashford's reignition. After all, his only goal until now has come against another domestic giant at the Emirates.

Regardless, it proves vital that Marcus returns to his form of last season. Manchester United scored considerably fewer goals than those around them in the table last season, which reinforces the importance of his contributions in a season full of games that were defined by fine margins. With the injury-ridden, results-lacking, uninspiring start to the new campaign, it looks as though we may find ourselves going down a similar path; with Rashford needed once again to make the difference.

He'll be playing games either way; he might as well get back to scoring goals.