Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim starts work at Old Trafford and top of his packed in-tray will be the startling drop-off in Marcus Rashford’s form over the past year and a half
Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim starts work at Old Trafford and top of his packed in-tray will be the startling drop-off in Marcus Rashford’s form over the past year and a half Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim starts work at Old Trafford and top of his packed in-tray will be the startling drop-off in Marcus Rashford’s form over the past year and a half
When Ruben Amorim walks through the doors of his new workplace tomorrow morning, Manchester United’s training complex will be quieter than normal. The academy players will be doing some light work but a good few of the seniors will be away on international duty.
One familiar figure, though, might be in for a warm-down after today’s Premier League match against Leicester City. Or he might be in just to say hello to the new gaffer.
But whether it is tomorrow or Tuesday or the day after, Marcus Rashford’s presence at United’s training ground will tell Amorim all he needs to know about one of the issues at the top of his in-tray. Rashford turned 27 at the end of last month and should be in his footballing prime.
He is a £350,000-a-week attacker who was once valued at a minimum price of £100million. Across all club competitions in the 2022-23 season, he scored 30 goals and had 11 assists. Since then – since signing that five-year mega deal – he has scored 12 goals in 60 appearances.
He averages a goal every six hours. In those 60 appearances, he has registered nine assists. In the Premier League, he has scored eight times in his last 43 outings. Two of those goals were penalties. His one Premier League goal this season was against hapless Southampton.
They say there are lies, damned lies and statistics, but these stats tell a brutal truth. And that is why Rashford will be at United’s training complex with his new club manager rather than with the England squad that travels to Athens to play Greece and then faces the Republic of Ireland at Wembley.
Rashford has 50 caps – and if he does not get his act together, it could be 50 and out. For those of us who remember Rashford destroying Wales at World Cup 2022 in Qatar – and lamenting the fact he was not given more game time by Gareth Southgate at that tournament – the prospect of his England career being over is unthinkable.
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Rashford should be a match-winner for club and for country, instead he has become a peripheral figure. When was the last time he had a game-changing impact? It really is too long ago to recall.
And that is why Rashford’s prolonged dip in form and effectiveness is a priority problem for Amorim to tackle in his early days at United. If Amorim can get the best out of Rashford in the 3-4-3 system that he is sure to use, then it will be like making a marquee signing.
Rashford is not the only problem, of course. United’s performance in the final third of the field over the past season and a quarter has been nothing short of pitiful.
Their tally of 57 Premier League goals last season meant they ended with a negative goal difference and of their miserable NINE Premier League goals this season, a third of them came against Southampton. He might have done a decent job as interim boss but Ruud van Nistelrooy has had minimal impact in a coaching role that, presumably, majors on the striking department.
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Amorim will already be planning on ways to make United more clinical but there are also broader issues. And one that he will struggle to tackle in the short-term is the shortfall in physical dynamism.
For a long time, this has looked like a team that is not as quick and as fit as a truly elite squad should be. They cannot press like others can press. Or maybe the reason for that is as much about attitude as it is about athleticism.
And that brings us and Amorim back to Rashford. Can the new boss compel Rashford to put in the hard yards? Can he relight Rashford’s fire? If the answers are yes and yes, Amorim will be some way to being a United success.
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