There are no more question marks over Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester United since the forward signed a new five-year deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2028.
That has not stopped journalists from digging deeper – to find out whether Rashford is comfortable enough to admit he considered his options during a bad period in his career. I see nothing wrong with that because it’s not like he has ever disrespected the club.
The arrival of Erik ten Hag has helped Rashford because it came after his worst season yet as he managed only five goals and failed to score after January, with his confidence reaching rock bottom. We can’t forget the appointment of Ralf Rangnick and the horrible impact that had on Rashford, too.
There was a time Rangnick preferred Anthony Elanga – now at Nottingham Forest – to Rashford in the starting line-up. How far we’ve come…
At the end of that season, there were reports that Paris Saint-Germain were interested in buying him from his boyhood club. That’s why Jamie Jackson asks Rashford if he ever considered leaving Old Trafford.
“Before the manager [Ten Hag] came maybe a little bit, but it’s football, it happens,” Rashford told The Guardian. “Everything is going to happen for a reason and he came to the club at the right time for me, the timing worked out.”
Rashford had his best season yet in Ten Hag’s opening campaign, scoring 30 goals and becoming United’s main source for goals. It was one of the reasons United agreed a deal to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta this week.
Outlining what changed under Ten Hag last season, Rashford points to the word ‘freedom’. He wasn’t enjoying his football before but that has changed. United are seeing the benefits of that on the pitch.
“Freedom – we were just a little bit rigid in the past, sometimes you’re not enjoying your football and that was the case with me – I wasn’t enjoying my football as much as I should be, as much I was used to enjoying it,” he added.
“Because of that it influenced my performance and ultimately that’s how I am as a person, if I’m not happy then it’s difficult for me to play my best football.
“Just a little bit more freedom and a little bit more stability – that gives you the baseline to try and showcase your abilities. I enjoy scoring goals, making assists, playing in the forward areas and trying to cause a threat to the other team.”
Rashford wants to be considered in the same bracket of forward as Man City’s Erling Haaland and he knows he must continue scoring goals for that to happen.
“You do have to be consistent with it,” Rashford said. “For me it’s important I get consistent opportunities, it’s up to me to take it on, I have to keep getting in the right areas and hopefully the goals keep coming.
“It’s always the purpose of your career, you want to keep improving. Sometimes it’s not always statistically but if you can improve your performance you will take it any way you can. Hopefully I can get more goals and do more, but I’ll be equally happy if we spread the goals out more and everyone gets five or six more goals and that means we’re doing better than last season.”
As Rashford alludes to, it’s a team effort. That is what Ten Hag is building at United and we’re all about it.
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