Rashford… Manchester United fans’ nightmare in 2023

Manchester United is being subjected to blows one after another this season, at a time when the Red Devils fans were placing high hopes on the team’s return to competing in all tournaments, after the distinguished level it presented last season with coach Eric Ten Hag.

Manchester United did not provide the results expected of it, occupying seventh place. It also exited the Champions League in the group stage, at the bottom of its group, and exited from the League Cup in the fourth round.

One of the most prominent players around whom question marks were raised about his level was Marcus Rashford.

This comes after Rashford presented very distinguished levels last season.

On January 14, he played a prominent role in turning the score around in a victory over Manchester City in the derby with a score of (2-1).

This was by contributing to the build-up to the first goal, and then scoring the winning goal 4 minutes later, so that his level that season was described as the best and most consistent throughout his career.

On February 16, Rashford became the third Manchester United player after Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke (1998), to score against Barcelona at Camp Nou during a (2-2) draw in the knockout round qualifying for the Europa League final.

Rashford played a prominent role in ending Manchester United’s title drought that lasted 6 years, by scoring the second goal in the victory over Newcastle in the League Cup final on February 26.

Rashford succeeded in scoring his 30th goal of the season in a 4-1 win last May over Chelsea, confirming that Ten Hag was capable of scoring 40 goals in a season.

Rashford ended the season by receiving the Sir Matt Busby Award as Manchester United’s best player of the season, voted by the fans.

With these distinguished levels, Rashford renewed his contract on July 18, extending his new contract until 2028, according to which he received 325 thousand pounds sterling per week.

But the fans’ hopes faded this season, and Rashford’s level did not differ from the level of the team as a whole, presenting one of his worst seasons to date.

Rashford participated in 24 matches in all competitions with Manchester United, during which he scored only 3 goals, all of them in the Premier League, and made 5 goals, 3 goals in the league and 2 goals in the Champions League.

He completed those lackluster levels last November 8, receiving the second red card in his career, in a loss to Copenhagen in the Champions League (4-3).

Rashford ended the year by scoring a goal yesterday in the loss to Nottingham Forest. Will that goal be the beginning of regaining new luster in the second half of the season?