Anthony Martial’s injury at the start of the season left Manchester United shell shocked. As predictable as it was, the injury was the last thing manager Erik ten Hag wanted.
With Cristiano Ronaldo unfit after a pre-season stay away, Ten Hag had relied upon Martial to lead the line, impressively so in pre-season.
Martial scored three goals in pre-season and linked up well with his attacking teammates, so suddenly having to cope without him left United without a plan, and it showed in the first two matches.
United fans were rightly concerned that without Martial, and Ronaldo not yet fitting what Ten Hag wants from him, that there simply were no other options. Marcus Rashford is proving otherwise.
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Rashford becoming ideal Martial replacement
There have long been concerns over Marcus Rashford’s ability to lead the line. Is he aggressive enough? Does he work hard enough? Can he make the right decisions and is he clinical enough in front of goal?
Rashford is currently answering these questions. Erik ten Hag praised his performance against Arsenal as ‘brilliant’, hailing his decision making and pressing.
The forward scored two goals and assisted one as United won 3-1 against Arsenal at Old Trafford, even earning praise from Roy Keane.
Rashford is earning a spot as United’s lead striker, with Jadon Sancho on the left, and Antony on the right. This has repercussions for Cristiano Ronaldo too, who will find it tough to displace the number 10 on current form.
Martial can still have a role to play
Martial will be looking at Rashford thinking ‘that could have been me’, as he looks to recover from his second injury of the season.
When he returns, Martial may have slipped from first choice striker to third choice, with Cristiano Ronaldo continuing to evolve into the player Ten Hag wants to turn him into.
But this can quickly change, and Martial still clearly has a role to play. Erik ten Hag chose to bring him on against Liverpool ahead of Ronaldo, and Rashford’s move into the centre may not be permanent.
Rashford is likely to share the left-wing spot with Jadon Sancho, and occasionally Anthony Elanga, while Sancho will also split time on the right with Antony.
In the centre, Rashford, Ronaldo and Martial are all competing for one spot and will rotate, and the challenge is open for all three players, with a busy fixture schedule likely to allow everyone to contribute.
For now it is Marcus Rashford who has the initiative. He did against Arsenal what we saw from Martial in pre-season.
He scored goals, he pressed, and he created. Erik ten Hag deserves huge credit for this, he has managed to turn Rashford into an asset again.
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