Marcus Rashford of Manchester United uploaded a photo of himself working out alone at the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, on Instagram the day after scoring the game-winning goal against Manchester City last weekend. The photo was captioned “Summer 22.” In the meantime, if you are looking for the new best sports betting casinos of January 2023, then CasinoDaddy has you covered! Make sure you check out our pages!
Although 25-year-old Rashford isn’t particularly bothered by the commotion around him, it was difficult to avoid it last season. As United struggled to their worst season in more than 30 years, he scored just five goals in 32 appearances across all competitions, which is his lowest tally since making his senior debut as a youngster over seven years ago.
After a few months, Rashford and United are both on the rise. Rashford has eight goals in his last eight games, while Erik ten Hag’s club has only lost one of their last 20 games. Rashford’s first game without a goal since the 2022 World Cup ended in a 1-1 tie with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but it was his assured, almost carefree pass that initiated the sequence that resulted in Bruno Fernandes scoring United’s opening goal.
Despite Selhurst Park’s inevitable gaffe, United supporters will go to league leaders Arsenal on Sunday with the knowledge that success will put them squarely in the championship chase. Rashford made his Premier League debut against Arsenal in February 2016, only four days after making his senior debut against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, but his career hasn’t always followed the same upward trend.
Rashford took his summer break to participate in a customized training program in the United States after going the entirety of last season without scoring and being benched by England for their Nations League games in June. Ten Hag is seen as the driving force behind United’s turnaround in fortunes of his tactical acumen and audacious decision-making. Rashford, though, started to turn things around in Beaverton.
Coaches observed a change after 10 minutes of his first training session back at Carrington, which concentrated on his conditioning but mostly on ball work.
Rashford was in good physical and mental shape and was eager to learn when Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford. In an effort to increase Rashford’s confidence, the Dutchman met with his assistant Mitchell van der Gaag several times before the season began. On the field, coaches Benni McCarthy and Darren Fletcher have led one-on-one sessions that have shooting and various types of finishing as their main focus.
The framework that Ten Hag and his team established has benefited Rashford. There have been more tactical and analytical work done, as well as more consistency in selection. Ten Hag’s first demand after being appointed as a £200,000 renovation of Carrington’s main conference room.
Rashford had a grievance against previous coaches who used his adaptability to fill up holes in the offensive line, but under Ten Hag, Rashford has been given more opportunities to play in his preferred position on the left of the front three.
He is staying at the training facility longer than he did last season, according to sources at Carrington, to take on additional gym work and further training. Coaches have observed a shift in his strength and body composition as a result of his concentrated effort on his heading. People close to Rashford think he’s more mature and content off the field than at any previous point in his career.
Ten Hag was impressed in the summer when Rashford accepted responsibility for his individual decline in performance rather than attempting to blame it on the team’s general performance. In the months preceding the World Cup, when Sky Sports wanted to inquire about his exclusion from England, he urged the club’s communications department not to object to the inquiries. It was also stated that the striker responded well to Ten Hag’s decision to bench him for the game against Wolves after Christmas as payback for being late to a team meeting. It is this honesty and integrity that has gone down well with Ten Hag.
Rashford has stepped back from his public relations and commercial duties this season since he got engaged to his fiancée Lucy in May. He is regarded as a senior leader in the locker room and has made an effort to welcome new recruits, particularly Tyrell Malacia. Multiple sources also claim that he is among the first to welcome academy students called up to first-team training, and after a 20-minute time period for a Q&A session with the team’s under-9s was up, he expressed a want to remain longer. In the end, he spent about an hour taking photographs, answering questions, and signing signatures.
United has prioritized extending Rashford’s contract over the remaining 18 months of his current agreement with Ten Hag’s approval. There has been more than ever a sense that United can match Rashford’s ambition. Rashford hasn’t been afraid to leave his options open, and there was a summer flirtation with Paris Saint-Germain.
Rashford should sign with United by the summer at the latest, but until he does, the best teams in Europe will keep circling. For a while, there was the idea that Rashford required a change of scenery in order to reach his full potential, which sparked talk of transfers to Paris, Madrid, and other cities. He decided to go with Beaverton instead, and United are currently reaping the benefits.
