It’s been a long while since the mood was this good at Manchester United and a lot of is down to Erik ten Hag, who has enjoyed a promising first six months at the club since he replaced Ralf Rangnick.
Ten Hag experienced a difficult first two games but the Dutchman recovered in style and his Reds are now on track to exceed any goals set during pre-season.
A successful summer transfer window has been at the heart of United’s improvement but Ten Hag’s ability to get the best out of players he inherited has also been excellent.
Marcus Rashford, in particular, has been one of the Premier League’s outstanding players and the tricky winger looks to be back to his best, if not better than ever.
Rashford has scored in all four of United’s games since the season was resumed after the World Cup and he recently became the first United player to score in six straight home games since Wayne Rooney in 2012.
Speaking ahead of this week’s FA Cup clash with Everton, Ten Hag has challenged Rashford to keep improving despite his continued spectacular form.
“First of all, keep the focus always and doesn’t matter if you are in the game or not in the game, keep focusing on scoring the goal,” Ten Hag said, according to the Manchester Evening News.
“A player like Marcus but others in our squad – Anthony Martial is the same – when they stay in the game, mentally, focused, 100% concentration, they have the skills and only need one moment to change the game in a positive way. If he develops that skill, he will score more goals and contribute to a successful season.”
Rashford has now scored 12 goals in all competitions this season and is on course to surpass the 20-goal mark for the third time in his career and for the third time out of the last four seasons.
