After scoring within minutes of moving off the flank and into a central area against both Crystal Palace and Leeds United in the past week, Marcus Rashford has created something of a conundrum for manager Erik ten Hag.
The England international, who scored his 20th goal of the season in all competitions against Leeds on Wednesday evening, has been outstanding for Manchester United this season, but mostly when starting on the left wing. It is the position where has thrived the most during his career and his numbers from that area speak for themselves.
However, with Anthony Martial missing more games than he is available for and Wout Weghorst struggling to deliver the goods, United lack a focal point they can rely on in the centre of their attack. They are desperate to add a world-class No.9 to their ranks and will be doing everything they can to solve that particular problem come the summer.
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Until the end of the season, however, Ten Hag has got to work with what he's got. As good as Rashford has been this season, United have been over-reliant on him and rarely look like scoring without him.
But after he found the net from a central position against both Palace and Leeds, Ten Hag hinted that he may be open to making that switch a permanent theme, certainly for the remainder of this season. United have got Jadon Sancho available once again and he will be in direct competition with Antony and Rashford for a starting berth, presuming Rashford continues to operate as the left-sided winger.
Ten Hag, speaking after the draw with Leeds, said: "It's difficult to analyse but I think after we make that change it's different for the opponent. It's difficult for the opponent because the dynamic changes. The defenders are in a certain way, they are anticipating a certain attack and then all of a sudden everything is changing.
"When we moved there, not only Rashford but we bring in Sancho and we bring in [Facundo] Pellistri. And that changes the game, as we did on Saturday as well. And we benefit from that situation, I think."
Therefore, with that in mind, it makes even more sense to shift Rashford into the middle and allow Sancho to operate on the left - the side of the pitch where he has produced his best football in United colours since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in July 2021. Antony, though he is currently sidelined, is United's first-choice right-winger and Ten Hag will be determined to get more out of him in the coming months, not least because of his astronomical price tag.
Rashford has gone on record saying that he considers his best position to be the left-wing, meaning moving him into a central role would come with an element of risk, even though he has produced the goods from that position recently. But, by his own admission, he has not fully shutdown the idea of playing as a striker.
"I think it depends on opposition, it depends on the personality you're playing against," Rashford told Amazon Prime, speaking after United's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford in December. "More often than not I prefer to play on the left but if there's a weakness in the middle or if there's a certain player I feel I can exploit I like to have the freedom to move and do that.
"I feel comfortable in those positions, and I want to score goals. Every forward has a number they want to try and reach."
Rashford, on several occasions, has operated as a central striker this season, supported by Antony and Sancho either side of him, meaning that could be a trio Ten Hag turns to again in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, with the form Rashford is currently in you would bank on him scoring from anywhere.
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