Marcus Rashford added another feather to his cap by bagging yet another debut goal in Manchester United’s 3-0 win against Basel. The 19-year-old has now scored in his Premier League, Europa League, EFL Cup, England and England U-21 debut.
He’s been a constant threat down United’s left, a position he shares with Anthony Martial. Both Martial and Rashford have dazzled down United’s left. Rashford has already scored 3 goals this season, and Martial has helped himself to 2; a massive improvement from last season, where Martial seemed to be a shadow of his former self.
The reason behind this? Healthy competition.
Marcus Rashford was quoted saying,
“It’s difficult when you’re in and out of the team, but we have to find the positives out of it and I think we have both done that.”
“I think the competition is always positive competition because we’re improving each other every day when we’re in training and in the games, we’re pushing each other more and more.”
“It’s a bit of a headache for the manager but it is a good headache to have.”
It is indeed true, being in and out of the team is sure to disrupt the rhythm or any sort of form a player is in. Having performed exceptionally well for England and United, Marcus Rashford has every right to be disappointed if benched for a particular game.
Another way to look at it would be, both Martial and Rashford would relish every chance they get. They know that their performances will be under close scrutiny by both the manager and the fans. If they manage to impress whenever given the chance, they stake a claim for themselves for a starting spot. The ultimate beneficiary – Manchester United.
Both of the players have a similar style. They are more direct in their runs, and always look to make something happen with the ball at their feet. Rashford has been working on his shooting of late, and does not shy away from taking a pop at goal every now and then. His set piece prowess cannot go unnoticed. Martial on the other hand, is a traditional winger who loves to dance on the by-line. His intelligence could be harnessed to devastating effect. So, while they do have a similar style, they are different in their own ways. Imagine being a defender tasked with handling Rashford and Martial for 90 minutes, a nightmare indeed.
Another way Mourinho could employ the two would be to play them on either wing. While it hasn’t yet been tried this season, it won’t be surprising to see United turn up with Martial and Rashford flanking Lukaku.
