Marcus Rashford feels Erik ten Hag has helped him to develop as a number nine at Manchester United this season and believes he is finally understanding the advice Wayne Rooney passed on to him years ago.
Rashford has had his best season in front of goal for United this campaign. He has found the back of the net 30 times in all competitions and is the club's top scorer this season by some distance, hitting double of what the next player in the club's scoring charts has.
Rashford will be aiming for more goals and his second trophy of the season when United take on Manchester City at Wembley for the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon. It follows the Carabao Cup and a third-placed finish in the Premier League.
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Ten Hag arrived at United last summer and has taken the first step in the club's turnaround this campaign. Rashford believes that the Dutchman has improved his game in the number nine position as he admitted what used to hold him back and frustrate him in that role previously.
Speaking to Gary Lineker on BBC Sport, Rashford said: "I think he's come in with a clear identity and a clear plan of how he wanted to play and after training with him, you learn quickly because he's very clear on what he wants you to do.
"I think as a number nine I'm playing much better now. I used to feel like on the left I've always got goals in me and I can create an opportunity on the left and then sometimes when I'm in the middle, I feel like I'm trying too hard to get on the ball.
"When you're a striker, patience is probably the biggest skill. I've always had the hunger to score, but this is what I needed to get right about playing as a number nine because this is what used to frustrate me the most - I don't mind missing chances, I'd rather miss a chance than not get a chance.
"Sometimes when I was a number nine, I'd be just too impatient. I'd be trying to get on the ball because I've not seen much of the ball. Then the ball would go wide and I'd know where I need to be in the box, but I'm one second late and then it would just frustrate me.
"A lot of work has been put into just hold your positions, play a bit more with the defenders."
Rashford believes the skills he has learnt at number nine can definitely be taught and are not merely a natural instinct which is unattainable otherwise. He recalled what United's all-time top scorer Rooney previously told him about the position and that it will take time - it is something the current United number 10 truly understands.
He said: "You can definitely teach it, it just takes time. I remember speaking to Wazza [Wayne Rooney] years ago, when I first started playing on the left and he used to always say to me 'you'll get it as time goes on and you mature' and I feel like now I understand what he was saying."
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
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