Five-time PL winner singles out maligned Utd man for praise, appreciates how ‘sharp’ he looked

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·26 settembre 2024

Five-time PL winner singles out maligned Utd man for praise, appreciates how ‘sharp’ he looked

Few Manchester United players covered themselves in glory after last night’s 1-1 draw with FC Twente.

Marcus Rashford returned to the starting XI following his controversial omission last weekend, and while he wasn’t able to etch his name onto the scoresheet during his 79 minutes on the pitch, he could hold his head high when looking back at the night’s affairs.

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In the first half, the forward won 100 per cent of his duels, completed four take-ons, recorded seven touches in the opposition’s box and created two chances – but perhaps his most notable passage of play was when he executed a scintillating elastico nutmeg to beat his man and get inside the area.

Marcus Rashford’s first half vs. FC Twente by numbers: 100% duels won 36 total touches 7 touches in the opposition’s box 4 attempted take-ons 4 successful take-ons 3 defensive actions 2 chances created 1 big chance created 0.41 xA Putting on a show under the lights. 💡
– mercoledì 25 settembre 2024

Former Red John O’Shea was beyond impressed with what he saw from Rashford, too, as he chose the No.10 as his Man of the Match on MUTV following the full-time whistle.

O’Shea lauds Rashford promising showing

The Irishman told the panel: “Really in the sense of threatening all night, not just for his nutmeg, obviously, but he looked really sharp.

“When Marcus is really direct and going at defenders, he leaves him for dead, and that’s what we want to see really. I expected Marcus to play really well today, and he did, you know, and a lot of players did play well, except for that one-minute spell.”

It remains to be seen if Rashford will retain his place when United host Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, though him being benched again would undoubtedly raise eyebrows the same way it did last time out against Crystal Palace.