What's going on with Marcus Rashford?
Marcus Rashford and Manchester United escaped Old Trafford with a win against Copenhagen to keep their Champions League hopes alive. Yet again, it was hardly conniving for United as Harry Maguire's header and Andre Onana's penalty save got them over the line.
Few have had a weirder 2023 than Marcus Rashford. After his return from the World Cup, he was on fire. The winger scored 30 goals across competitions in the 2022-23 season, the vast majority of which came in the 2023 calendar year. Fans believed it was the revival of a player who looked down on the dumps under Ralf Ragnick.
However, that old rust has started to reappear, as Rashford has only scored once in 13 games across competitions, in the 3-1 loss at the Emirates against Arsenal. Every other game has been frustrating for the player, and the confidence that was there a couple of months ago has now disappeared.
Taking on players and beautiful first touches have gone from Rashford's game as he overran multiple chances against Copenhagen. On a difficult evening all around at Old Trafford to memorize the life of Bobby Charlton, the team never really rose to the occasion.
There were some chances for the Red Devils on the counterattacks, but most of them were a heavy touch by Marcus Rashford or Alejandro Garnacho, which eventually put an end to the chance. The 25-year-old's reluctance to pass when the opportunity presents itself also became a hot topic among the fans.
One such incident had occurred in the Premier League match against Burnley on matchday six. The England international opted to go for goal himself rather than passing the ball to his teammate Casemiro, who was left unmarked by the opponent.
The Red Devils supporters would be hoping for their star player to get back into scoring goals. It is still early in the season; therefore, fans would be hoping that the player's recent underperformance is only a blip in his career.
Marcus Rashford and Manchester United have an important period upcoming
It's never a good thing to have Pep Guardiola's Manchester City as your upcoming opponent (October 29). However, United have had City's number at Old Trafford in the past few years. A 2-1 comeback in January was one of the most memorable wins from the 2022-23 season. Rashford played a key role in that win, as he and Garnacho were too much to handle for the Manchester City defense.
An EFL Cup Round 4 match against Newcastle United will take place (1 November) before the home Premier League game at Craven Cottage against Fulham (4 November). Then, the big games come in November when United travel to Denmark to play Copenhagen for the reverse fixture.
If Manchester United fail to win in Denmark, they will have to show up and win in Turkey. One would expect Galatasaray to beat the Danish side in the final round of the Champions League group stage.
Even if Bayern Munich put out a less-than-perfect starting XI at Old Trafford if they already have first place in the group locked up, it could be a tall order for United. Rashford may very well have to find his form in Istanbul if Manchester United hope to reach the round of 16.