Marcus Rashford was the star of the show at Old Trafford this weekend as his thumping first-half header ensured that Manchester United secured all three points against a resilient West Ham side.
Rashford’s strike was his 100th for the club and it keeps up his red-hot form this season after a long period of uncertainty for the 24-year-old.
United, in general, have been poor over the last 12 months and the final stretch of Ralf Rangnick’s tenure last season was difficult to watch from the outside.
Since then, Erik ten Hag has taken over and it seems like the mood has been lifted considerably. Speaking after firing United to victory in the Premier League, Rashford has insisted that there’s a new ‘energy’ at the club under the Dutchman.
“It’s a complete different energy around the club and the training ground. That puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now. That’s the area I was struggling in,” Rashford told Sky Sports, via The Athletic.
“I was struggling at times with more mental things. It wasn’t really my own performance but other things off the pitch. That’s the biggest difference from last season.
“I get that it’s your job to speak about what happens on the pitch but for the players we have to get into the right headspace for every game.
“Too often last season, I wasn’t in the right headspace for games. I wasn’t surprised by some of the stuff that was happening.”
SN’s verdict…
Rashford’s upturn in form was always going to come sooner or later – talent like his can only be held under wraps for a certain amount of time.
It was never in doubt that Ten Hag would see Rashford as an integral part of his rebuild but now, focus will be on tying him down to a long-term deal. Rashford is out of contract at the end of this season albeit United have the option to extend his deal for an additional year.