After scoring a paltry five goals in a forgettable campaign last season, you probably would have got long odds just on Marcus Rashford hitting double figures this time around.
The Manchester United academy graduate, who is closing in on his 350th appearance for the club, experienced his lowest scoring season in front of goal since graduating to the first-team under Louis van Gaal in 2016. After being robbed of a pre-season because of surgery on his shoulder, Rashford regressed at such a rate last season that supporters were genuinely concerned for his welfare.
He was distant, lacked belief and did not look like a player who would be capable of meeting the impeccable standards that were about to be set by Erik ten Hag. Fast forward the clock by a few months, however, and the 25-year-old is now enjoying the best scoring season of his career so far - and is showing no signs of stopping.
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His emphatic opener in Thursday night's 4-1 Europa League win over Real Betis marked his 26th goal of the season for United, meaning he is now closing in on the golden tally of 30. Considering the Reds are still alive and kicking in both the Europa League and the FA Cup, as well as having 13 Premier League fixtures left to fulfil, Rashford could still make up to, if the club goes the full distance in both of the aforementioned cup competitions, another 22 appearances before the end of the season.
With that figure now printed in your mind, Rashford should have no trouble in becoming the first United player since Robin van Persie in 2012/13 to score 30 goals in a single season. Both Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2016/17) and Bruno Fernandes (2020/21) have gone close to matching Van Persie's tally in recent years, but both failed to advance from 28.
It means Rashford, who has scored five times in the Europa League this season, is in a strong position to either match or surpass Van Persie's tally. That would, of course, mean that the England international would become the first Reds player to score 30 goals in a single campaign since Sir Alex Ferguson retired a decade ago.
After the troubles he faced last year, nobody would have given the versatile attacker a chance of getting anywhere close to that number. You would have been laughed at and ridiculed if you thought it was possible, especially when Rashford scored just eight times in all competitions before jetting off to the World Cup in November.
But since returning from Qatar, the England ace has not looked back, plundering a remarkable 18 goals in just 22 games. It is a run that has seen him score the winner in the Manchester derby, become the first United player to score against Barcelona in the Camp Nou since Dwight Yorke in 1998 and find the net at Wembley in a domestic cup final.
Empowered by the confidence that has been passed down to him by Ten Hag, who stressed how important he was in his plans at the time Paris Saint-Germain were circling last August, Rashford has rebuilt his United career in such a way that he is currently mentioned in the same breath as Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Though his goalscoring form has been the sole reason for that, he also deserves credit for his assists and willingness to operate in multiple positions.
While Rashford has often cited the left-wing as his best position, he has also delivered the goods this season when operating through the middle or on the right. His tally of nine assists is also a reflection of his unselfish style to put side before self.
At the World Cup, too, he also delivered the goods, scoring three goals in five appearances, including a brace in the 3-0 win over Wales. In total, for club and country, he has recorded 38 direct goal contributions (goals and assist) in 46 games this term.
It is an astonishing return for a player whose career was at rock-bottom this time last year. Ten Hag, just as he has for United as a whole, has rebuilt Rashford in such a way that the numbers he has hit this season will be expected to become a formality in the years ahead.
After almost a decade of someone trying to match Van Persie's status as being the last United player to hit 30, Rashford could be about to smash his way through that number at a canter. With the prospect of another 22 games to go, would it be unrealistic to set him the target of 40?
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