Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has credited forward coach Benni McCarthy with playing a big role in Marcus Rashford's resurrection this season.
The Reds academy graduate, who scored three times for England at the World Cup in Qatar, netted his 14th and 15th goals of the season on Tuesday night, helping United defeat Charlton Athletic 3-0 in their Carabao Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford. Rashford stepped off the bench to net a late brace and continue his recent run of red-hot form.
The 25-year-old has now scored seven goals in his last six matches since returning from the World Cup last month, playing a central role in United's current eight-match winning run. His brace against Charlton also saw him score for the eighth home game in succession, meaning he will head into Saturday's Manchester derby against City with confidence flowing through his veins.
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Rashford scored just five times in all competitions last season, sparking speculation that his future could lie elsewhere. However, he has been rekindled by manager Erik ten Hag, so much so far that he is now, arguably, enjoying the best spell of his career so far.
And although there is no doubt that Ten Hag has played a key role in getting Rashford going again, Evra believes McCarthy, who was brought in over the summer to sharpen United's attackers, has had an unquestionable impact, praising the work he has done.
"We need to give credit to Benni McCarthy, he's responsible for all the forward players and you can see he is doing a good job," Evra told Betfair. "Maybe he is the one saying to Marcus that he needs to score more goals and be a killer.
"So, I think what United are doing with Marcus is good work because I see someone happy. That is the key. It's the biggest difference I see in Marcus, now he is smiling.
"Before, when he scored a goal you could see he was angry and upset with something, now he is happy. A happy Marcus Rashford is dangerous. He's electric."
After scoring twice against Charlton, Rashford has now registered 21 direct goal contributions (goals and assists) this season, compared to just the seven he racked up in the whole of last term. His confidence has been restored, resulting in him looking happy every time he steps onto the pitch.
Evra continued: "Rashford doesn't surprise me because this is what I expected from him from the start. Marcus lost his happiness and when I was at one of the games I said to him, 'What's the most important thing for me now is to see you smiling because you've got the quality but sometimes when I watch you it looks like you're bored on the pitch'.
"I think the problem was away from the pitch and there were things that we didn't know about. When I told him that, he said I was correct. United fans appreciate what he is doing for the kids but right now his main focus isn't off the pitch, it's scoring goals for Man United.
"You have to be honest, when you prioritise football over anything else, that's when things work. If you want to play at the highest level, football has to be your priority. Marcus' main focus is Man United.
"People expect him to score 20 or 30 goals, I don't expect that because no matter if he keeps scoring, I don't think he's a killer, he's an important player for United but we still need a goal scorer. I don't expect Marcus to score 25 goals every season, maybe he will prove me wrong, I think he can do it in one season but this is not his goal, I said to him he needs to enjoy what he is doing, enjoy running, enjoy defending and the goals will come."
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