(Football news) Manchester United has had a topsy turvy start to the season as despite the arrival of Ronaldo, some of the same problems persist. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping that the timely return of Marcus Rashford after the international break acts as a much needed catalyst to finally kick start their season and play to their full potential.
Rashford returned to full physical training on October 1st after being sidelined for almost three months with a surgery on his shoulder and will be coming with a fresh and fit dynamic as this was his longest rest in his professional career so far. His return will certainly be a timely one as United have some really tough fixtures coming up, so a fit and firing Rashford needs to throw his hat into an increasingly congested Manchester United attack and let the manager know he's up for selection. Rashford played his first friendly against Blackburn Rovers behind closed doors after three months and was on the scoresheet twice. He is expected to be in the matchday squad against Leicester this week.
Rashford played almost the entirety of last season with a persistent ankle and shoulder injury but he still managed to conjure up 57 appearances across all the competitions in which he scored 21 goals and 12 assists, only missing out on four matches last season. In his five full seasons as a senior United player, he has amassed 253 appearances second only to Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva on 255 appearances. With him getting the much deserved break and having the much needed shoulder surgery, Ole would be hoping that Rashford can rediscover his best form or even elevate his game to the next level playing alongside his childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
His return is certainly a timely one as Rashford excels playing in big matches and with very difficult fixtures coming up his big match experience is needed to give that extra motivation to the team. With his arrival Ole needs to deploy Rashford on the left wing as that's his strongest position which would further mean that Paul Pogba needs to slot back into the midfield either playing as deep lying midfielder or given a little more license to attack especially against the teams which have a low block on. For United, they need to get the partnership of Ronaldo, Sancho and Rashford to fire in all cylinders if they are to challenge for a title.
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Rashford on his injury recovery said, “My recovery is – I wouldn’t say coming to an end because obviously I have to keep looking after it, but I’m in a much better place physically and mentally. Last year was a very long season for me, I got this injury at the end of September, and gradually it got that little bit worse, but now I’m fully free of that. I feel much better physically and mentally.”
Rashford mentioned after getting a lot of positive messages said : “It’s hard to describe the feeling it gives you, but one thing I’ve always said is that I want to see people act as one in communities and environments, and that was one big highlight for me.It was a time everyone came together, and whatever they thought was the right thing to do, they just did it, and it was a special moment.”
Rashford on Cristiano Ronaldo, “That’s a great feeling for me, as a player, but also as a fan of the club as well. It’s always nice when a club legend finds a way back to the club. To be playing with him back at Old Trafford is a terrific feeling and hopefully gives us a push to start winning more trophies.”
