SOUTHAMPTON, England, Sept 14 (Askume) – Individual training during the recent international break paid off for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who ended his six-month stint on Saturday after facing criticism from fans.
Rashford had gone 13 games without a goal since a 2–0 win over Everton on 9 March before scoring the first goal in the 41st minute of United’s 3–0 Premier League win over newly promoted Southampton.
Head coach Erik ten Hag was initially asked about Rashford’s play, but said ahead of Saturday’s game that the 26-year-old only needs one goal or assist to make his debut.
Ten Hag can only hope this positive afternoon will really open the door for his forward, who managed just eight goals in all competitions last season, and who is set to begin his first season in Manchester in 2022-23.
“It’s very important,” the manager said after Saturday’s win, which took United to six points after four games. “For every striker, they want to be on the scoresheet. Once you get the first goal, more goals start coming. There was one striker who was talking about bottles of ketchup – once it starts, if it’s good, it starts scoring more points.”
Rashford was left out of England’s squad for Euro 2024 and was not called up during the recent international break. After being criticised for a slow start to the season, he stayed in Manchester during the break to work with RH Elite coaches, and spent much of his time practising his finishing position.
On Saturday, Rashford couldn’t find the target from United’s short corner in the 41st minute and fired a diagonal shot into the far corner.
Newcomers Matthijs de Ligt and Alejandro Garnacho scored the other goals for United, while goalkeeper Andre Onana saved Cameron Archer’s penalty.
The Hague 10 side had no time to relax after their much-needed win. They host Barnsley in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
