Manchester United’s performances in both the Community Shield and in their Premier League opener against Fulham were far from what fans saw last season.
Gone are Erik ten Hag’s chaos ball tactics with the team building well from the back and hogging the ball, trying to be patient while carving open both Manchester City and the Cottagers on numerous occasions.
One area where the team has been lacking is in their finishing with numerous glorious chances being spurned which will concern the manager with tougher tests to come.
Against City at Wembley, Marcus Rashford should have put the game to bed before regulation time but ended up missing quite a few easy chances.
Rashy missing chances galore
Against the team from London, the Mancunian tried hard but could not find the breakthrough with debutant Joshua Zirkzee ultimately scoring the winner in the 87th minute.
The England international knows he has to perform this season after last campaign’s diabolical displays on the pitch and numerous controversies off the pitch which also saw him miss out on selection for the Euros.
There was interest from Paris Saint-Germain but INEOS opted to hold on the academy graduate for now but Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear to Rashford that he has to improve or he will be out next summer.
The Englishman is yet to get rid of the inconsistent tag from his game, often following up a superlative campaign with a less-than-stellar one as seen in Ten Hag’s two seasons in charge.
In the Dutchman’s first campaign, Rashford netted a career-best 30 times while last season, he could not even breach the 10-goal mark.
As per Givemesport, the INEOS owner has made it clear that this season is the 26-year-old’s “last-chance saloon” as the team will not carry unwanted passengers moving forward.
Last chance for Rashford
“Senior club bosses – led by INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe and David Brailsford – believe Rashford is in the last chance saloon at United.
“So far this summer they’ve resisted any urge to put the striker up for sale, but another season of under-performing will certainly lead to his exit at the end of the season.
“Ratcliffe is no longer prepared to carry passengers as he attempts to push United into a new era where mentality, high standards and elite-level professionalism are the cornerstone of his mantra.”
The boyhood fan of the club, unlike in the 23/24 campaign, is trying hard this time around, which will please fans but forwards are judged by the number of goals they score and it is imperative that he gets on the scoresheet soon.
United’s fortunes this season and Ten Hag’s future at the club will depend a lot on how Rashford performs this time out.
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