Marcus Rashford now looks “f****** dangerous” in front of goal after seeing a complete turnaround in his confidence levels, according to Ian Wright.
Rashford endured his worst ever campaign for Manchester United in 2021/22, returning just five goals and two assists in 32 appearances. But the 24-year-old appears revitalised by the arrival of Erik ten Hag, who has installed him as his first-choice striker in the early part of the season.
He has three goals and two assists in six Premier League matches so far this season and was the star of the show in United’s impressive 3-1 win over Arsenal on the weekend. Wright is an Arsenal supporter, but as a former striker himself, he has been delighted to see Rashford back in form.
“I was really pleased for Rashford because – it was the same as the Liverpool game – he’s another one of those players that everything he does is quite defining,” he said on the Wrighty’s House podcast. “If he misses that [first goal], it goes to that place of real negativity again. But what I’ve seen from him up until this point, especially with the last two goals he’s scored, is somebody that thinks ‘If I’m going through, I’m scoring’.
“I can’t complain about that because Arsenal went there with the right attitude. Looking at Manchester United, in the current climate, you don’t want those players to get confidence.
"But Rashford looks reborn, he’s putting the pot on the fire because he’s ready to cook. In that instance [running through on goal], he looks unstoppable.
“The only thing that is going to stop him is if the pass isn’t good enough, or his touch isn’t good enough. Both of the finishes got a little clip off somebody, but he’s getting the luck now. With his pace, he is f****** dangerous.”
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Rashford had never scored against Arsenal before, but put that statistical anomaly to bed with two impressive finishes on Sunday. His pace on the counter-attack was a constant thorn in the Gunners’ side and the United striker spoke about his performance post-match.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “I’d not scored against Arsenal, but I didn’t realise it had been that long until before the game. It was something I was looking to do this year and I’m happy I managed to get the goals. It’s a great feeling.
"You do miss it as a player. I’m just hoping I can stay fit, stay healthy and keep putting performances like that.”
Rashford’s performance came at the perfect time, both personally and for his club. England assistant boss Steve Holland was in the stands at Old Trafford to watch the match and the striker is now hopeful of making a return to the Three Lions ranks before the World Cup in November. Gareth Southgate will announce an initial squad on October 21 – a month before the start of the tournament – before whittling down the numbers at a later date.
