HE IS HUMAN AFTER ALL!
Lockdown hero Rashford scores one... but misses two
ONLY Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were younger t han Marcus Rashford when they reached 50 Premier League goals for Manchester United.
Yet the England striker should look closely at the golden oldies if he is to develop into one of Old Trafford’s greatest forwards.
At 23 years and 58 days old, Rashford’s future looks highly promising. He is skilful, quick, creative and athletic. He has the temperament to handle the pressure of being a key man for both club and country, on and off the field.
As Rooney and Ronaldo proved on numerous occasions, though, the best players are defined by their ability to deliver in the decisive moments. That is also what Edinson Cavani and Jamie Vardy did here, while Rashford, who has 13 goals in all competitions this season, stumbled too often when his big chances came.
Cavani was only a late substitute at the King Power Stadium but the 33-year-old made a far greater impact in his 15 minutes than Anthony Martial had in the previous 75. Showing all his experience, the Uruguayan drifted away from Jonny Evans in the 79th minute before collecting possession and releasing Bruno Fernandes, who put United 2-1 up.
That should have been enough to secure a r ecord- equalling 11th consecutive league win n on the road for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s skjaer’s team, until Vardy struck ruck Leicester’s second goal. oal. As substitute Ayoze ze Perez prepared to cross, s, Vardy took a step away y from Harry Maguire creating just enough space for a shot.
The goal was lucky — Vardy’s s t r i ke was s heading wide before it clipped substitute Axel xel Tuanzebe and flew past David de Gea — but would not have happened without streetwise movement from Leicester’s top scorer. He and Cavani are the same age and took very different paths to reach this stage, yet they need only the slightest opportunity to turn a game on its head. Had Rashford been as clinical, United would have secured another victory in the title race.
Less than two minutes had passed when Rashford, unmarked at the far post, somehow headed Fernandes’ cross over the bar from six yards. He did put United in front later in the half with a solid finish, only to be denied by Kasper Schmeichel after the break. At that stage, the score was 1-1 thanks to Harvey Barnes’ 31st-minute equaliser.
‘Marcus has been brilliant,’ said Solskjaer (above). ‘We are very proud of him as a human being and as a player. His stats are impressive. He is a threat and he always creates chances for others. He could have had a couple more goals but that is football.’
Solskjaer hopes Rashford will recover from a shoulder problem in time to face Wolves at Old Trafford tomorrow, while there are also fitness concerns over defender Victor Lindelof, who had to be replaced by Tuanzebe midway through the second half.
This point allowed Leicester to stay ahead of United in the table as they prepare to take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park today.
Both this season and last, Leicester were in second place when they woke up on Boxing Day. Last year, they were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool and while this Manchester United side are not on the level of Jurgen Klopp’s champions, Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers is impressed by his team’s progress. Youri Tielemans maintained his excellent form this term with another superb display in midfield, while Jame James Justin and Harvey Barnes a also shone. The f former Celtic manager said: ‘We have a number of you young players and they ne need encouragement. Yo You are asking them to ex express t hemselves ev every week and do what t they do in training.
‘ It i s satisfying, no ma matter what club you are at, to help players to impr improve and develop. That i s wh what I enjoy. James Justin’s development and the authority he is i showing at this level is growing game by game.
‘Harvey is producing the numbers and he will be up there with others at this level now in terms of goals and assists.
‘My job is different to how it works at Manchester United. We don’t have the financial resources of other clubs but we still want to be able to compete. That is a big challenge for us.’