Manchester United's Marcus Rashford admits he's enjoyed a 'priceless' pre-season this summer after a disappointing campaign.
Rashford lost his starting place at Old Trafford last term and he regularly failed to impact games from the bench. Rashford contributed just five goals and two assists in 32 appearances and that made it his worst season since breaking into the first-team.
Erik ten Hag has the challenge of transforming the club's fortunes and the task of inspiring improvement from his players. Ten Hag has now had four weeks to work with the squad and there have been clear signs of his philosophy during pre-season.
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Rashford featured in all four of United's games during the tour of Thailand and Australia — scoring two goals against Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace — and he looks one of many players within the dressing room who are relishing the fresh start.
Speaking after United played the final match of their pre-season tour, Rashford opened up about his 'priceless' preparation this summer and he admitted he's benefited from the opportunity to take a break after a mentally gruelling season.
“I feel fit, I feel strong and we’ve come out of the trip without any injuries,” Rashford told the PA news agency. “For us, it’s definitely a positive thing to have a fully-fit squad ready to start the season. For me personally, it’s priceless to have the pre-season that I’ve had.
“Sometimes I don’t really take as much note of it because usually we’re playing games in the summer and stuff like that, so the next season sort of just rolls onto the previous season.
“But this year I’ve had time to break, rest, recover mentally and physically, and then I’ve had a proper pre-season. I feel really happy. I’m pleased that I managed to do that. I think it’s normal when we’re not performing as we should perform [that] you get criticised.
“It’s part and parcel of the game. I’ve always said that I’m my own harshest critic and I know when I’m not playing my best football and I know when I need to improve. Definitely last season was a time for me to reflect on.
"I’ve had the time off in the summer and a long pre-season, so I feel a lot more ready this season. I think it’s obviously difficult when you lose. We don’t like to lose and I think that’s just same for everyone as an individual.
“When you are losing games and you’re not picking points, it’s difficult to enjoy yourself on the pitch. Hopefully we can start the season off a lot better than that but we have to use last season as fuel to improve and to prove that we’re better players than what we showed last year."
Rashford also discussed the impact of Ten Hag, explaining how the Dutchman wants his players to play with a positive mindset.
“He [Ten Hag] just wants us to be positive," Rashford added. "He wants us to do everything in a positive manner, so for us it means a lot of forward runs, a lot of interchanging positions, trying to link with each other on the ball.
“It’s fun to play in, we’re enjoying it, so hopefully we can kick on and perform these type of performances come the season.”
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