Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford featured in England’s 10-goal thriller against France in the third-place play-off.
Just days after England crashed out of the World Cup with a semi-final defeat to Argentina, Marcus Rashford and Co. bounced back with a strong performance against France.
While his Manchester United teammate Kobbie Mainoo missed out through injury, Rashford started for the Three Lions for the first time since facing DR Congo in the Round of 32.
Rashford made his first assist of the summer tournament and played a strong 45 minutes before Thomas Tuchel replaced him with Ollie Watkins.
After watching Marcus Rashford at the World Cup, do you want to see him back at Man Utd?
Marcus Rashford ended his World Cup campaign with a strong display against France…
Marcus Rashford’s creativity was outstanding, but Man United need a finisher
Against France, Rashford made three key passes in just 45 minutes. No England player made more.
Rashford was a consistent creative outlet for England, and he found himself in behind the French defence on numerous occasions.
With Rashford set to return to United for pre-season and potentially play a part in the 2026/27 season, his strong World Cup campaign will be music to Michael Carrick’s ears.
But while Rashford’s creativity is good news for United, what the Red Devils really need is a deadly finisher out wide.
Creating chances has not been a problem for United in recent seasons. Bruno Fernandes broke the assist record last season, while Matheus Cunha and new signing Youri Tielemans both thrive in finding dangerous passes to teammates.
United also made sure to point out that new signing Andrey Santos is elite at breaking lines with his passes. The forwards next season should be well supplied with chances.
Is this a little harsh on Marcus Rashford? Do you feel the same way?
Marcus Rashford can thrive on Man United’s new creators
When Rashford was last playing for United, chances on goal were hard to come by. Fernandes was the sole creator in the side and fellow forwards Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund hardly carved out any opportunities for teammates.
Heading into 2026/27, the picture has changed and United now have one of the most stacked line-ups of creators of any team in the Premier League.
Rashford scored 30 goals in the 2022/23 season, and that is the type of lethal finisher that this United squad is crying out for.
Benjamin Sesko enjoyed a strong debut season and will be looking to improve on his tally next season, while Bryan Mbeumo’s finishing is one of his strongest attributes.
If Rashford can add more goals from United’s left flank, then a title charge isn’t too ambitious for Carrick.
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