The rebirth of Marcus Rashford continued with his stunning solo goal in Manchester United's EFL Cup win.
Picking the ball up in his own half, Rashford ran the length of the pitch, slaloming past Burnley defenders, before scoring with an emphatic angled finish to seal a 2-0 win. A year ago, Rashford would not have had the confidence to execute - let alone attempt - such an audacious goal.
Bereft of belief, he became a liability rather than an asset to United, losing his England place as a result. His meagre return of five goals last season was his lowest since bursting onto the scene for United in 2016; he lasted 90 minutes just three times, with his representatives looking at moving him on to relaunch his stalled career.
Yet Wednesday's breathtaking strike, on the back of his three goals for England at the World Cup, underlined Rashford's long overdue return to form after a prolonged period in the wilderness. And with Cristiano Ronaldo's brooding giant shadow no longer an issue, Rashford has the opportunity to step up and become United's star striker and main source of goals.
United may be actively looking for a new striker, but with that position unlikely to be filled in January, Rashford has the chance to make the position his own and prove his enduring worth. The 25-year-old already has nine goals this season, with United boss Erik ten Hag and his staff fully expecting Rashford to go on to score 20-plus.
Given Rashford's new-found ebullience, it is bizarre Gareth Southgate restricted him to five minutes in England's World Cup quarter-final against France, when trailing 2-1 and needing an equaliser. Rashford came agonisingly close to scoring with a free kick deep into added time and it is tempting to wonder if he would have plundered the goal England needed had he been given more time.
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Yet Rashford's slump, which began 18 months ago, was perhaps inevitable, given he played through the pain barrier for United for several years, against the backdrop of injuries and ailments. An ankle injury in the 2020-21 season was followed by a double stress fracture of the back, while he delayed surgery to a long-standing shoulder issue to play for England at Euro 2020.
That meant Rashford missed the start of last season, while the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the chaos of Ralf Rangnick's interim appointment deprived Rashford of the continuity of coaching he needed. At the end of last season, Rashford and his camp assessed what needed to be done, mentally and physically, to get him back to his best.
Over the summer, he undertook a week-long intensive training programme at Nike HQ in Portland, Oregon, to ensure he was in peak shape for United's pre-season tour. That investment was rewarded with his impressive start to the season, which brought an England recall and a place in Southgate's World Cup squad.
Those at United credit Ten Hag's man-management for Rashford's revival. As soon as he arrived, Ten Hag made Rashford feel wanted and told him he had complete faith in him, despite his woes last season. Rashford has thrived under Ten Hag and gave an insight into the role played by the new United boss when he said: “It’s a completely different energy around the club and the training ground.
“That puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now. That’s the area I was struggling in. I was struggling at times with more mental things.”
Rashford has also found contentment in his personal life. After breaking up with long-term girlfriend Lucia Loi, the pair were reunited and became engaged back in May. On the pitch and off it, life could not be sweeter for Rashford as he hits the peak years of his career.
