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Marcus Rashford is one of England’s finest talents, but there’s no question that his form massively tailed off towards the end of the season, just when Manchester United really had the chance to get Champions League football and set up the perfect base for a summer of rebuilding.
On the chalkboard
Manchester United were in turmoil when Jose Mourinho was sacked back in December.
The Red Devils, to their credit, regrouped and made the brave decision to abandon the Mourinho project and bring in a fan favourite – Molde’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
His appointment as interim manager was so successful he’s since been given the job full-time, not only for the incredible improvement in results but for the way some of the club’s best and most expensive prospects had since found form under the new boss.
However, things have come to an abrupt halt since, with Solksjaer realising what an enormous job he has to not only build a United side capable of competing in the big games but one that’s got the hunger, desire and fitness to compete over a whole season.
Team’s confidence killed Rashford’s support
While the desire of the United players will be called into question, could the issue really be the team’s confidence? If this is the issue, it would go a long way to explaining why Rashford has struggled so much in recent weeks.
Dents in confidence have occurred throughout the whole season and it’s even trickled into the most reliable of players like David De Gea, the ever-performing, match-saving goalkeeper. These last few months, he’s been just as much part of the problem.
So how does confidence in the team impact Rashford so much? Perhaps it’s too kind on the young man to hide him behind these excuses, maybe he’s just thrown in the towel for the season, but nothing in his past would suggest he’s of that nature. What’s more plausible is the idea that every bad result and every bad moment sent a ripple effect through the spine of the team. With every De Gea mistake, the defence dropped slightly deeper. With every goal conceded, the midfield felt they had to sit back more and lay off the press.
This has a huge impact on young Rashford. The more the team retreats and sits back, the more isolated United’s number 10 is going to become.
Solskjaer then himself seemed to lose confidence, and that was evident in his line ups at the end of the season. He was suddenly playing a back five rather than being brave like he once was and leaving three forwards up the pitch to counter attack.
Rashford has struggled on his own account, but the on-field support from those around him hasn’t been there because of the breakdown in confidence of the team. Suddenly his team-mates weren’t close to him and weren’t attempting high-risk, high-reward passes. The team then stopped pressing, and the England youngster was left more and more alone up front, even with a striking partner.
Rashford can only do so much, and the team’s lack of belief resulted in him becoming more isolated as the season went on. That perhaps was the biggest cause of his slump in form, and it’s a much wider problem at United right now than simply one young player not performing to his best.