Marcus Rashford has started this season impressively and Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has summed up the reason behind his return to form.
Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund took the plaudits for Manchester United on Saturday, the goalscorers that turned the game against Brentford around, but the third member of what is surely Erik ten Hag's best attack deserved plenty of praise as well.
Whether from his regular position on the right or popping up on the left, Rashford was direct and aggressive in his running. He won a corner by surging past Sepp van den Berg and drilling a dangerous low cross into the six-yard box. His tally of 22 final third passes completed was the highest in the game, and his four chances created were also a match-high.
That final line is probably the most instructive regarding Rashford's improvement this season. His loss of form last season came alongside a loss of confidence. It's hard to know which one came first, but the downturn affected Rashford's body language, and his attitude suffered, as Ten Hag hinted. It was there to see at Old Trafford on Saturday, as well as at the Estadio do Dragao for that Europa League draw against Porto. Rashford is playing with aggression and intent again. He keeps possession when it looks the safest option, but when he takes people on, he commits wholeheartedly to the endeavour, as he did on at least a couple of occasions this weekend.
The numbers back that up. He managed 13 goal contributions from 43 appearances last season, registering 0.38 goals or assists per 90 minutes. This season, he is already up to seven goals or assists at a rate of 0.75 per 90 minutes.
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