Will Marcus Rashford save his Manchester United career at the stadium where it took off? | OneFootball

Only Wayne Rooney (45) and Andy Cole (32) have scored more Premier League goals against the ‘Big Six’ for Manchester United than Marcus Rashford (26). Now more than ever, the polarising forward must reassert his flair for big occasions in Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium.

United’s No.10 has three goals in seven games since Ruben Amorim took charge in late November. He has only played a full 90 minutes once under the new manager – a 4-0 home win over Everton – and managed to score a brace on the day.

In fact only Mohamed Salah (5), Cole Palmer (4) and Kevin Schade (4) have outscored Rashford in the league since Amorim made his bow in the Ipswich draw.

But Rashford was booed by his own fans in Thursday’s Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen, where he was hooked on the hour mark to cap off a bad week.

Days before, it was widely reported that the Red Devils are willing to listen to offers for their academy product in January.

Financial motives aside, it was claimed by the Telegraph that one driving force behind this decision is the club’s concern over Rashford’s lifestyle away from the field.

In March, Rashford vehemently refuted claims that his dedication to United was wavering.

“Listen, I’m not a perfect person,” he wrote. “When I make a mistake, I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say I need to do better.

“But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that’s when I have to speak up.”

Despite his goals under Amorim, the 27-year-old has not been able to nail down a regular starting spot in the XI, mainly competing with Alejandro Garnacho for minutes.

It seems Rashford has one more shot at proving to United fans that he deserves to be their poster boy, after a tumultuous spell under Erik ten Hag.

The 2022-23 campaign saw him net 30 times in all competitions, becoming the first United player since Robin van Persie in 2012-13 to reach this milestone. However, in Ten Hag’s final full season, his main man scored just eight goals in 43 games.

If this season does not pay dividends in front of goal, the decision to call an end to what would be a nine-year spell at Old Trafford for Rashford next summer would hardly be unjustified.

Speaking before their 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest, Amorim was simple about his aims with United, demanding more intensity from his players.

“If we want to win, we have to do it. Even with the best starting XI on the planet, without running, they will not win anything. It’s very clear,” he told club media.

“If you want to win the Premier League, you have to run like mad dogs. If not, we are not going to do it, that is clear.”

Sunday’s game against Manchester City presents Rashford the perfect opportunity to show Amorim and the United faithful that he is still up for it — whether he starts or has to make do with a substitute appearance. Even despite struggling in general, Rashford managed to score against Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham last season.

All 3,000 fans from the red side of Manchester packed into the South Stand at the Etihad will know that City are there for the taking, too. Pep Guardiola’s men have managed just one win in their last 10 games. Since the start of November, they have conceded 21 times. After Wednesday’s loss to Juventus, this was the worst goals conceded record in all competitions across the whole of Europe’s top five leagues.

Only two Manchester United players have scored more Premier League goals against City than Marcus Rashford (5): Wayne Rooney (8) and Eric Cantona (7).

Wind the clock back to March 2016 – Rashford’s debut in the derby – when his ice-cold finish in the first-half secured the spoils for United in the 1-0 win. Fans saw ruthless intensity from Rashford, tracking back to help his side survive the 26-shot onslaught from City.

That is the fearlessness Amorim expects. Importantly, that is what United’s supporters demand.