Manchester United have made an iffy start to the season and Jose Mourinho seems to be feeling the heat. The team doesn’t look settled and solid at the back, while attackers aren’t able to contribute as much as the manager would have liked. Maybe the manager still doesn’t know his best eleven, as he constantly chops and changes his lineup every other matchday.
Marcus Rashford has been at the receiving end of Mourinho’s inconsistent team selection. The youngster started only once for United in the Premier League this season. He started as the lone striker in the opening game against Leicester City but the English international made himself look like a square peg in a round hole.
Although the 20-year-old showed glimpses of his actual potential in the second half, he did not have much of an impact on the game as United sat deep and allowed Leicester to attack. He did not get as many touches as he would have liked to and was left completely isolated in the final third.
At times, it has been up to the manager’s inconsistencies which have caused problems for the striker, while on other occasions, he has left himself down with poor composure and erratic decision making.
A product of the Manchester United’s youth academy, Rashford made his debut for the Red Devils back in the latter part of the 2015-16 season. Since then, the Englishman has gone on to make 81 appearances for the club across all competitions where he has found the back of the net on 17 occasions.
There is absolutely no doubt over his potential as a player. He has all the attributes to become one of the finest players in the Premier League. However, the 20-year-old is still in the developmental phase of his career and Mourinho needs to understand that.
Denying him of regular minutes on the pitch and deploying him in different positions is not going to help him at all. As a manager, the Portuguese needs to put that reassuring hand on Rashford’s shoulders and help him work on his weaknesses.
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Rashford is one of the most exciting talents at the club and will get better with time. At the tender age of 20, he has already achieved quite a lot and United should show confidence in him.
This article was written before Manchester United faced Watford