Home ›› 14 Jan 2023 ›› Sport
Marcus Rashford has put two years of frustration behind him as the Manchester United star’s blistering form has inspired his club’s return to relevance in the Premier League.
Rashford will spearhead United’s attack in Saturday’s crucial derby against Manchester City after recovering from a difficult period that threatened to squander his vast potential.
Before the start of this season, it was increasingly hard to imagine Rashford would be the focal point of any big game, let alone such a pivotal showdown as fourth-placed United’s clash with second-placed City.
But Rashford is flourishing again after committing to a career reset.
The 25-year-old’s double in United’s League Cup quarter-final win against Charlton on Tuesday extended his scoring run to a career-best six successive games.
Rashford has hit seven goals in that period and 15 in total this term for United after managing just five last season.
It is a welcome sight for United fans, who feared Rashford may never recapture the form that made him a teenage sensation when he burst onto the Old Trafford stage in 2016 after graduating from the youth academy.
Rashford’s decline reached its lowest ebb when he suffered racist abuse on social media after missing a spot-kick in England’s penalty shoot-out defeat against Italy in the European Championship final in 2021.
Struggling to deal with a long-term shoulder injury, Rashford’s United form was woeful both in the months before the Euros and in the aftermath of the tournament.
Manchester-born Rashford had been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) medal after playing a key role in forcing two government U-turns over free meals for school children. But, concerned he was no longer putting his day job first, then United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned Rashford to “prioritise his football” in late 2021.
