Rashford on the rampage
Ten Hag’s tough love approach works a treat with striker
THERE was something about Marcus Rashford’s unauthorised lie-in and rather bashful apology at Molineux that exposed the boy in Manchester United’s man of the moment.
Even at the age of 25, Rashford has retained much of the youthful shyness we witnessed when he burst onto the scene as a teenager at Old Trafford seven years ago.
‘I woke up and fell back to sleep,’ said Rashford, putting on his serious face again after briefly breaking into a smile as he explained the reason why he was late for a team meeting and consequently dropped to the bench by manager Erik ten Hag.
From the moment United’s No 10 came on as a half-time substitute at Wolves, however, we saw the man in Rashford. The beast. The physical specimen who is knocking defenders out of his way for fun this season.
England benefited from it at the World Cup with Rashford’s goals against Iran and Wales, and it has continued since his return to United.
He provided the highlight of last week’s Carabao Cup win over Burnley, running from deep inside his own half through a swathe of blue shirts to score United’s second goal, and Rashford gave Wolves more of the same.
No sooner had he climbed off the naughty step to replace Alejandro Garnacho than he was charging at the opposition with only one thing on his mind. When Rashford cut in from the left and played a one-two with Bruno Fernandes 14 minutes from time, there were more than enough Wolves defenders to keep him out. But he burst in between Nathan Collins and Jonny Otto, hurling the latter to the ground, before jinking inside Toti and firing his 11th goal of the season past Jose Sa. Then when Aaron Wan-Bissaka gave Rashford the ball in the box again in the 84th minute, he brushed Collins aside and went for goal with such purpose that even Sa’s initial save couldn’t prevent him bundling the ball into the net. Only a handball decision by VAR denied him a second goal.
It’s clear that Rashford is reaping the rewards of the extra work he put in at Nike headquarters in Oregon over the summer, and those punishing running drills with weights and bungee cords attached to his back.
He has also benefited from the guidance of Ten Hag and his coaching staff, who have turned him into a more direct attacking force this season.
Ten Hag had every reason to feel satisfied about the progress he is making at Old Trafford as he ushered in the New Year.
If confirmation of Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia late on Friday wasn’t proof enough that the United manager is getting the big calls right, then there was plenty more at Molineux. The decision to enforce strict team rules and discipline on Rashford was the correct one, as was giving the player a chance to redeem himself in the second half.
Elsewhere, Ten Hag chose to stick with Luke Shaw at left centre-back despite Harry Maguire’s availability, and was rewarded with a third clean sheet in 11 days ahead of tomorrow’s game at home to Bournemouth.
For Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui, Rashford’s goal brought a first defeat since he took over.
His team will attempt to climb out of the relegation zone when they visit Aston Villa on Wednesday and striker Diego Costa is convinced the Spaniard’s intense style will guide Wolves to safety.
Costa said: ‘Lopetegui conveys a lot of energy, it’s like he’s playing alongside you.
‘We’re not in the position we hoped to be in but we’ve got great players, and I think, with new signings, we’ll be able to stay up.’
WOLVES (4-3-3): Sa 6; Semedo 6 (Jonny 65), Collins 6, Kilman 6, Bueno 6 (Toti 73); Moutinho 6 (Ait-Nouri 72), Neves 7, Nunes 6; Hwang 6, Costa 5 (A Traore 46), Podence 6 (Jimenez 79). Subs not used: Sarkic, Goncalo Guedes, B Traore, Hodge. Booked: Semedo. MAN UTD (4-2-3-1): De Gea 7; Wan-Bissaka 6, Varane 7, Shaw 7, Malacia 6; Eriksen 6 (Fred 61), Casemiro 6; Antony 5 (Elanga 90), Fernandes 6 (Maguire 90), Garnacho 5 (Rashford 46); Martial 5 (Van de Beek 80). Subs not used: Lindelof, Heaton, Williams, Mainoo. Booked: Casemiro, Fred, Rashford. Man of the match: Marcus Rashford. Referee: Robert Jones. Attendance: 31,658.