Marcus Rashford was the heartbeat of Manchester United’s success last season. The winger, who also played as a striker in some games, scored 30 goals and registered 11 assists in 56 matches.
Erik ten Hag has stated how important Rashford is in his plans and how the club wants to see the England international extend his contract at Old Trafford. Whilst nothing is yet to be confirmed, the attacker is close to extending his stay at the club, which will see him earn a significant pay rise.
Last season, Rashford was one of the most influential players for Man United. He was at the forefront of so many attacks for his team and was always popping up with either a goal or an assist. His speed and brilliant skills helped him create space and beat defenders.
During the 2021-22 season, Rashford only scored five goals in 32 matches for United. A rocky season saw him miss the beginning of the campaign due to a shoulder injury. The hunger and desire to get back to his old ways saw Rashford put incredible hours into off-season training.
With the addition of forward coach Benni McCarthy to the club, he helped United’s number 10 iron out mistakes in his game and see where he could improve. At just 25-years-old, Rashford has a wealth of experience playing first-team football, as he made his debut for the Red Devils over seven years ago. On his debut, Rashford scored twice in a 5-1 win for Man United against Midtjylland. From then, the rest was history.
England’s number 11 has featured 53 times for the Three Lions, netting 16 times and assisting six goals. Rashford scored on his debut just three minutes in against Australia, in a 2-1 win for England.
During England’s heartbreaking loss to Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 final, Rashford was one of the players who missed from the spot, when he hit the post. However, an incredibly strong Qatar World Cup campaign from him saw the confidence he’d gained from United shine through in the Middle East. During the 2022 World Cup, the winger scored three times, including a brace against Wales.
Rashford’s incredible work off the pitch has also seen him receive an MBE, thanks in large part to his brilliant free school meal campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work helped to apply pressure that forced the government into U-turns over the provision of free meals to school children in the UK, something that the British government was not planning to do at first.
Despite being recognised for his efforts, Rashford didn’t stop there. “We’re nowhere near where we want to be, or where we feel the kids deserve to be,” he said at the time.
Ahead of an exciting 2023-24 season, Manchester United are looking at bringing in a new striker. This will hugely benefit Rashford as he won’t be overly relied upon to score goals off the wing. He didn’t buckle under the pressure of scoring goals last season, setting a record of nine consecutive goals at Old Trafford, with the ninth being the winner against Manchester rivals City.
On Fantasy Premier League, Rashford’s price at the end of the season was £7.2m. He was selected by 37.8% of users, which highlights how many people understand his importance to United. He averaged 5.9 points per game which is the second highest for a midfielder, and at the end of the campaign he had amassed 205 points.
