Marcus Rashford is Manchester United’s top scorer this season with nine goals - already almost double the tally he managed last term.
He was also England’s joint-top goalscorer at the World Cup, sharing the accolade alongside Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka with both hitting the net three times. Neither could get on the scoresheet in the quarter-final defeat to France, although Rashford was within inches of sinking a last-chance free-kick at the death.
He returned to Manchester disappointed but showed the strength of his mentality and form by arrowing home an effort after a wonderful dribble in United’s 2-0 League Cup clash with Burnley on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Marcus Rashford has answered Erik ten Hag's challenge
He is on the brink of hitting double figures for the seventh season in his career, with the last campaign the only occasion when he failed to. After morphing into a confidence-sapped figure, Rashford’s transformation back into his former spirited self must be praised.
Erik ten Hag should be credited for drawing this out of the striker, who said he is now “in a better headspace” and feels “really motivated.” The 25-year-old admitted he was enjoying the fresh methodology Ten Hag had brought to United.
“The manager likes possession football but he is also in favour of letting us go for the kill – and that’s what I am all about. I am enjoying my football again, 100 per cent.
“The manager has created a playing style that produces a better quality of chances – and we are really playing forward-thinking football.” Ten Hag himself believes Rashford is in a positive mood.
Speaking in September, he said: “I see a happy Marcus Rashford and I see some phases in his game that we could improve. And we worked really hard in the last two-and-a-half months with him on different aspects.
“He likes it, and he wants to transfer it to the pitch, and that is what you see in this moment.” And talking to the Manchester Evening News and other journalists in Spain during United’s mid-season training camp, Ten Hag outlined the key to his good form was indeed this contentedness.
“That's one of the first things I said to him - [to] come to training and smile,” he said. “We bring him exercises that hopefully bring players joy.
“They have to be effective but they have to be joy as well and that gives you energy when you are happy, when you see the benefit of it you can be happy.”
Speaking after the win over Burnley, Gary Neville said that his smiley attitude during the warm-up was a telling sign that Rashford was ready for the resumption of the season and thus is back to his best both mentally and physically.
He told Sky Sports: “I thought he’s happy in the warm-up, he looked like he was ready to come back. He’s come back, looked like he’s happy, and it’s a good start from them [United].”
Neville also branded Rashford as United’s most important striker currently.
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