Former Liverpool player Graeme Souness has suggested that Manchester United's slim Premier League titles hopes will depend on the fitness of in-form attacker Marcus Rashford.
The Reds cruised to 3-0 victory over Brendan Rodgers' men at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Rashford (2) and Jadon Sancho both on the scoresheet for Erik ten Hag's side. The home side were lucky to be level at the half-time break, but United came out of the blocks firing in the second period and were worthy winners in the end.
Leicester had a number opportunities to take the lead in the first half, but David de Gea was in superb form and made two spectacular saves to deny the visitors. The Reds had Rashford to thanks once again, with the England international having now registered 24 goals and eight assists in 36 appearances this season.
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Rashford has only missed two matches through injury all season, but Souness has insisted that the Reds would not be winning without the 25-year-old, before suggesting that an injury to the forward could potentially derail the club's season. However, former Chelsea frontman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink disagreed - claiming that Ten Hag's side would manage without the England ace.
Read the full debate below:
Souness: "I always thought Tottenham would get there [into the top-four] at the expense of maybe Man United, but I think Man United now are a very different animal. Then you factor in the Marcus Rashford situation, if he gets injured then they become a worry. Would they be winning their games without Marcus Rashford? No they wouldn’t. Liverpool have undoubted quality with people coming back into the squad.
"Their dressing room right now is very much united. They’ve beaten Liverpool, beaten Man City, they are on a roll, but without Marcus Rashford - we’re talking about that game there how fabulous he was second half, and that’s after Rashford has scored a couple of goals. Then everything is flowing, you’re not taking two touches, you’re doing it first-time. You’re not taking three touches, you’re doing it two times, and they looked a really good team, but Rashford had done the damage by getting the two goals."
Hasselbaink: "I have to disagree, they’re at a stage at the moment that they feel invincible. Casemiro is not playing and he has been very important for them, but they find a way to win. Yes, Rashford is scoring goals, but before Rashford was scoring goals they were winning games 1-0 and I think that they are in such a good moment that they will be alright, with Rashford or without Rashford."
Souness: "Rashford has got 24 goals this year."
Hasselbaink: "He has, yes."
Souness: "Take his 24 goals out of it, the next top goalscorer is who?"
Hasselbaink: "Fernandes."
Souness: "With how many?"
Hasselbaink: "A little bit less."
Souness: "Fernandes has got seven goals. Without Rashford."
Hasselbaink: "But they would find a way."
Souness: "No they wouldn’t."
Hasselbaink: "They’ve got a structure at the minute that is working."
Souness: "They wouldn’t. Alright, is your target man gonna get you goals?"
Hasselbaink: "No he’s not."
Robbie Keane: "You take Rashford out of that team, the threat that he causes opponents. There is pace, he has this arrogance now in a good way that he knows he is one of the best players in the team now, and he knows that everything has to go through him. I don’t believe they wouldn’t miss him."
Hasselbaink: "We said the same about Casemiro when he was not on fire."
Souness: "Goals change games."
Hasselbaink: "That is true, but they have been finding goals."
Hasselbaink: "I’m not."
Souness: "They’ve got lots of games, it’s about keeping him fit. They’ve got to keep him fit because I don’t see - we’ve been there, I’m amazed you [Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink] are arguing with me about it. Goals change games."
Hasselbaink: "They would be better with Rashford, don’t get me wrong."
Souness: "Goals change games. Without Rashford they wouldn’t win as many games."
Souness: "They [Man United] could knick it. They could knick it. I don’t think they will, because I think Arsenal proved their point at the weekend. They have been punched on the nose, feeling sorry for themselves and they have bounced back in a bit of style. I think they got a bit of luck because that game at 2-2, Jorginho doesn’t normally lash them in from the edge of the box, and it comes down off the crossbar and hits Martinez and goes in the goal.
"They showed really gutsy stuff, in that second half they were playing on the front foot against a Villa team who are not their best right now, so Arsenal ain’t going anywhere. I thought they might have crumbled on the back of the City result, but they have shown a bit of oomph, like we can go again, and I come back to the quality that City have.
"With all the points still to play for in my head I’m thinking it’s only a matter of time before City go on a ridiculous run. What did they do wrong yesterday apart from poor finishing? The football was fabulous, chance after chance after chance, but at 1-0 you’re vulnerable."
Hasselbaink: "I think that they [Man United] are too far. Anything is possible, but I don’t see Arsenal and Man City losing that many points for them to catch up. They are, in a way, the team to avoid. Arsenal and Man City, they are lucky that they have already played them twice, but I think they are too far behind for them to become champions."
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