Very happy about his last two goals. However I'm a bit worried that he didn't smile or look happy after scoring like in the previous matches. We all want a happy Rashford I think.
10
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 56
- Goals
- 30
- Assists
- 9
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
I don't agree. Robben wasn't always performing the way he did at Bayern, whether that's due to injury or environment. Some of your other examples don't really matter in this case either. You're comparing him to players like Messi who is probably the best footballer we've ever witnessed, Neymar who is probably in the top 3 footballers of his generation and Mbappe who will probably go on to being the best footballer of his generation. Haaland hasn't even had a full season in a top flight competition European competition yet, bit early to be judging his consistency.
If your defintion of 'elite' is the top 3 players of their generation, then I agree, Rashford may not ever hit those heights, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him be amongst the top 3-5 in the World for his position. He's currently playing at a level which I'd argue is amongst that as is.
Rashford has been really good to us. He scored 7 goals and 2 assists in the last 6 games. He has everything to score against City too. I hope he can keep that form for the rest of the season. Some time ago I criticized him for his finishing. Between October and November he was very ill. But now he seems to have regained his best form. Good for us and for him. Everyone wins
Probably to do with the opposition and the stage of the game. He'd look a tit sliding across the grass on his knees and spinning his shirt over his head after scoring a pretty meaningless 94th minute goal against a league one side.
He's absolutely fine.
Fair enough I think. Really hope he can stay happy and firing. What a beast. He's among the top 5 or maybe even top 3 LW in the world atm imo.
You might does not believe me but I said the same thing without reading your post
Agree he's among the top 3-5 LW in the world right now. What a monster
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Same. Stuck by him for the last year but I thought a moderate 20+ goal contribution season would be him back on the right path. Looking like he’ll smash that number.
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He had 34 goal contributions in 2021 when we ended 2nd place behind City. He had 31 goal contributions the year prior.
Obviously, his role changed when Ronaldo came and he the focal point of the attack became the latter who ended up with 27 contributions. But he's gone and I think we have already seen Rashford go back to his old form and I expect a 30+ goal contribution season from him again this year.
He had 34 goal contributions in 2021 when we ended 2nd place behind City. He had 31 goal contributions the year prior.
Obviously, his role changed when Ronaldo came and he the focal point of the attack became the latter who ended up with 27 contributions. But he's gone and I think we have already seen Rashford go back to his old form and I expect a 30+ goal contribution season from him again this year.
Your posts on the first three pages of this thread are some of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever seen posted on the forum.
There is a composure about him now. It's what makes the difference between the good and great players
Your constant attention-seeking, Captain Hindsight schtick is embarrassingly tedious.
I'd leave it. He's still going strong.
Rashford had a couple of disappointing seasons in his late early 20s following several seasons where he was considered to be up there with the best young players in the world. During that bad patch he was playing for a team in free fall and had a severe back injury. At the same time he had to deal with getting constant abuse from every direction. His own club supporters included! Even politicians were chiming in ffs.
Kane spent a chunk of those same years on loan in the championship. Neymar playing in Brazil. Robben didn't start to look world class till he moved to Bayern when he was 26.
He's got 10 years left in him at the top level. Don't be so quick to write him off. He's only just getting started.
I really hope you're correct when you say he's just getting started. Crazy to think less than a year ago he looked a shadow of a player, with injuries and off the field issues , it looked liked we'd seen the best of rashford. Now with confidence and good coaching he looks terrifying. Long may it continue.
I think he is a very exciting player, and I said this in my original post that @Wumminator deemed necessary to quote.
I also said he needed to wake up and start to make better decisions on the pitch. All of which was true. He is clearly benefiting from playing under a proper coach.
I am glad to see him looking so fit and playing so well, but he wasn’t for a very long time. Elite players don’t have multiple seasons like that and he has a lot to prove if he ever wants to be in that bracket.
For now, I am just enjoying his form!
What all round game does Haaland have? Take away his goals, which of course elevate him to the elite level, and he doesn't contribute that much, which Pep also alluded towards. He can only run past people, not dribble in tight corners, is not nearly as good a passer as Rashford and isn't as creative. Was Robben really that consistent throughout his career? Kane is of course in another league as a finisher and also dropping deep orchestrating play, but he doesn't go past players and is quite slow. Everyone has limitations. Mbappe is even faster than Rashford and is arguably a better dribbler, but he does scoff a few good chances every now and then.
Rashford's biggest concern has been consistency and the fact that he often plays the game at full pace all the time. Mbappe is much more clever in the way he uses his pace, slowing down then accelerating, putting off the defender. Even a player as fast as Mbappe, how many yards can you steal in a 20 yard dash from the fastest fullbacks? Not many, you need to put them on their wrong foot - Rashford needs to work on that as he often runs into blind alleys.
That is the sort of thing (along with the lack of consistent top class seasons) that separates him. Can it be coached? I hope so, since we are already seeing improvement in his decision making.
Haaland is an exception in terms of overall game, but he has ridiculous numbers to separate him, and he has consistently produced those numbers since he burst on the scene.
Robben also had multiple seasons of absolutely top drawer performances (which Rashford could still have!). He had ridiculous technique and retained his pace well into his 30s.
I don’t think he has the overall game to be in the very top bracket and that people are jumping the gun, but I hope he proves me wrong and this discussion is completely different in 4-5 years.
Worth saying he's got by far the best chant of the current players too, get chills when it starts ringing out around Old Trafford.
I'm not convinced either, as I think the running into blind alleys is too much of a concern, and his close control is wayward. However, all players have their shortcomings and very few are complete footballers. Ronaldo at his prime is probably the closest to a complete footballer as he didn't really have any weaknesses, but Messi is arguably the better player, so there you go. Rashford's shortcomings isn't necessarily going to put him out of the top bracket if he can find consistency. His shooting, pace, strength and even build-up play make up for some of his weaknesses.
15 goals + 6 assists in 25 games. Those are world class numbers.
So was Rooney not elite?
I get what you're saying but there's no guarentees in football, if he carries on this form he will 100% be elite. I can't think of many forwards out performing him at the moment.
His shooting technique has improved. His strength has improved. His pace has always been good. His dribbling has always been one of his better assets.
He can score headed goals. His decision making has improved. He has always been able to get assists but his Passing has improved under Ten Hag.
He is looking like a much more all rounded player now. His hold up play is not great but he isn’t a striker - he is a LW.
He can score headed goals. His decision making has improved. He has always been able to get assists but his Passing has improved under Ten Hag.
He is looking like a much more all rounded player now. His hold up play is not great but he isn’t a striker - he is a LW.
Unplayable! Love to see it! Decisive.
When you think about except the one season under LvG he's not had great coaches of attacking players in his whole time at United and even LvG isn't really that attacking of a manager.
I think this change has been brought around because of ten Hag and his coaches who clearly want to nurture his talents instead of Jose Mourinho who never really rated Rashford imo or Ole who ran him into the ground
I think this change has been brought around because of ten Hag and his coaches who clearly want to nurture his talents instead of Jose Mourinho who never really rated Rashford imo or Ole who ran him into the ground
I'm not even an England fan, but what was Southgate thinking only giving him such few minutes at the WC. Scored 3 goals and looked dynamite, really could have made the difference against France.
Incredible form right now and looks like a real force again. Great to see.
Incredible form right now and looks like a real force again. Great to see.
Absolutely incredible turnaround from last season.
He's in sensational form.
He's in sensational form.
Rooney was unbelievable for about 7-8 seasons before his decline. Another world performance-wise to what Rashford has done so far.
If Rashford is to cement himself in that bracket, it is literally all in front of him and he has everything to prove. Rooney had been world class for 7 seasons by his age.
Don't know what happened to him but he looks like a totally different player from what he was a year or even two years ago.
That's a bit of a stretch. He scored 2 penalties and before the 80th min France didn't have a single shot on target against Argentina. He was really anonymous for the most part aside from his goals. On the other hand Messi was basically the focal point of almost every Argentinian attack and goal. I think the score is very flattering towards Mbappe.
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This last month is the first time that I've felt Rashford might yet develop centrally. The way Ten Hag sets us up, the way Rashford is learning to use his body and his movement, I can see him staying in the middle, especially if Garnacho keeps this up, or if Sancho finds form again.
He scored two penalties in a World Cup final under immense pressure. He also scored a fantastic volley to be only the second man in history to score a hat trick in a World Cup final.
If it were that easy, England might have made the final instead!
He was quiet initially, but he couldn’t have done anymore after the first penalty.
Rashford is lauded after two goals against Charlton, Mbappe diminished after a World Cup final hat trick.
Again, I love Rashford, but objectivity is needed here!
What a season the lad is having. I hope he keeps it up, he's absolutely vital for us
He is vital, you’re right. We look a lot less incisive when he’s not playing.
Southgate is such a gobshite.
He certainly is.
His productivity is increasing but he played better before he injured his back under Ole.
He is our only winger with power and speed at the top level. Antony will develop into the other I’m pretty sure about that. We need another one in backup which I think will be Garnacho. These players have the character, I don’t think Sancho does.
He is our only winger with power and speed at the top level. Antony will develop into the other I’m pretty sure about that. We need another one in backup which I think will be Garnacho. These players have the character, I don’t think Sancho does.
Marcus is really dialled into his game at the moment.
No real lapses in concentration on the pitch…which is something EtH has been talking a lot about lately.
No real lapses in concentration on the pitch…which is something EtH has been talking a lot about lately.
Sorry to say I doubted him. Btw, who was the poster having a go at his attitude a week or two ago?
I would not be so quick to write Sancho off, he clearly has bags of talent but is going through a rough time both on and off the pitch. Just like Rashford was this time last year when lots of posters wanted him moved on and wrote him off completely. Rashford has completely recovered his form and is flying again, there's no reason why Sancho won't as well under the same management.
When is that slated to happen?
He might have been more critical to the results we got but don't think he was playing better than currently. I think most would agree this is the most complete he's looked in his entire career. Playing all front three positions, using his physicality, timing his runs etc.
- Status