Ralf Rangnick has given his opinion on what Marcus Rashford needs to do to preserve his place in Manchester United’s starting lineup following his current slump. After returning from injury, the striker has been unable to recover his previous season’s form.
After recovering from a devastating shoulder injury in October, the 24-year-old has been a shell of his former self. The issue was similar in his most recent game against Aston Villa, where his performance deteriorated as the game progressed. He’s been without a goal since 2016, which gives us a sense of his present goal-scoring drought.
As reported by the club’s official website, Rangnick revealed in the pre-match conference that Rashford’s good performances in the training sessions have helped him earn a place in the starting XI. He did warn, though, that the forward must continue to do it regularly moving forward.
He said:
“There have been a couple of training sessions over the past few weeks when he (Rashford) has performed at the highest level and that is why I have always given him the chance to play again. As long as he does that, he will always make my list to be involved within the starting XI. Of course, it’s about showing that on a regular basis and continuing playing at a high level.”
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The Englishman cannot let his head droop as a result of his previous form since he must conquer the challenge for his own and the team’s good. He was fantastic in the first half of the FA Cup match against Villa, which we won 1-0, but he gradually faded in the second half, which could signal a mental issue.
The Red Devils’ star will now have to capitalize on the glimpses of the solid performances he displayed during training sessions and turn them into full-fledged match day performances
Performances are what matter, so even if he doesn’t score right away, it won’t be a problem for the time being- but he must regain the form that he has shown in attack for us in recent seasons.
He must remain alert throughout the game and not allow any errors to drag him down, as was the case in the previous match. It’s also a little unfair that the attention is solely on him, given that his teammates haven’t exactly shone recently.
Luke Shaw and Cristiano Ronaldo have already stated that the team has a mentality problem that has to be addressed.
The Manchester United attacker could be going through a similar phase, therefore he needs to get back into the swing of things as soon as possible, as there are a number of key matches coming up soon.
