Last season ended with Marcus Rashford out of the Manchester United squad and still out of the England squad. Now he is a starter for club and country.
Rashford is nearing his optimum again, playing to the soundtrack of clattering plastic seats, confirmation Rashford is drawing supporters off them.
The 25-year-old parted amicably with representative Kelly Hogarth, a lifelong Manchester United supporter who advised on the forward's commendable community work, at the start of a season he has scored 11 goals in 22 games.
Also read: Have your say on a possible United takeover in our survey
The beginning of the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came when he suggested Rashford "maybe prioritise his football and focus on football" five weeks before he drove out of Carrington for the last time.
An erstwhile United press officer attempted to downplay Solskjaer's comments before the embargo was lifted with a perfunctory message that only muddied the waters. Solskjaer could be a clumsy communicator and dug a deeper hole three days later.
Flanked by Rashford at a pre-match press conference, he accused the media of misinterpreting his comments even though he had been quoted verbatim. Sources say Rashford was seething about Solskjaer's comments and their relationship became uneasy.
The manager prone to digging holes ran Rashford into the ground. Rashford resented Solskjaer's lack of consideration for his shoulder injury that required surgery and in the final surrender at Watford, Rashford was hooked with United 2-0 down at the pause.
Towards the end of a farcical first-half, the inauthoritative assistant manager Mike Phelan approached Rashford. Just going off his body language, Rashford's reaction was inherently negative and he gave Phelan short shrift.
Whatever Solskjaer's intention with the 'focus' remark, he echoed many United followers concerned by Rashford's form. His creditable numbers in 2020-21 (21 goals and 15 assists) masked a plummeting performance level, the lowest ebb coming in the Europa League final against Villarreal.
Solskjaer did not have the courage to drop Rashford when Edinson Cavani was in the midst of a purple patch, Mason Greenwood was undroppable and Paul Pogba influential off the left. With every substitute Solskjaer summoned, the suspicion was Rashford's number would be up but he stayed on for the duration.
His withdrawal was so expected the stadium compere erroneously announced Rashford's removal when it was Pogba who had been replaced. Pogba looked particularly mystified that Rashford had stayed on.
At Gdansk airport the next day, the hardcore supporters still dulling the pain with alcohol scolded Solskjaer and Rashford. However much Rashford had underwhelmed in the preceding months, for Mancunians to be so scathing of a Wythenshawe-born United academy product was a jolt.
Those United supporters will be the most delighted Rashford is renascent. United always comes before England but no right-minded Red wishes ill on one of their players at a World Cup and there will be immense pride at Rashford's three goals in Qatar.
Sir Bobby Charlton is the only United player who has scored more goals at World Cups for England than Rashford, who equalled the greatest English footballer's three-goal haul in 1966 against Wales. Rashford has more World Cup goals than Bryan Robson and Wayne Rooney and as many as David Beckham.
Rashford entered the tournament on an upbeat note. His four Premier League goals have gained United nine points against Liverpool, Arsenal and West Ham and his last club goal was a first this season as a centre forward, a masterfully measured equaliser to spark an uplifting comeback over Aston Villa in the League Cup.
Only four days earlier at Villa Park, Rashford had looked constrained on the right wing in United's first league defeat at the ground since August 1995. Now, for England, he is thriving off the right and his goals against Iran and Wales came with him occupying a role one of his former managers said he "dislikes" playing in.
At Villa, Erik ten Hag said with complete justification the "best position for Rashford is number nine or coming out from the left, clear". Iran were already beaten and 4-1 down when Rashford danced past their defenders to make it five and only Qatar have been worse than Wales at this World Cup, yet the context should not blight Rashford's contributions.
Like the majority of United players, Rashford was sceptical of Ralf Rangnick's methods and the German's tenure prompted him to impulsively consider his future. Rashford admitted last month he "wasn't in the right head space" for much of last season and recoupling with his childhood sweetheart can only be positive. Rashford spoke movingly about the death of his friend from cancer during his man-of-the-match press conference at the Al Janoub Stadium.
It was curious England denied Rashford a potshot against the porous Danny Ward with a convoluted first-half free-kick that resulted in a goal kick. When Rashford eventually struck a dead ball past a similarly lifeless Ward, the technique was refined; more De Bruyne than Ronaldo.
One of the criticisms of Rashford has been his refusal to vary his shooting technique. Not anymore. He's focused.
READ MORE:
