Marcus Rashford has rediscovered his goal-scoring form this season, but he is determined to continue overcoming criticism in order to live up to Manchester United’s expectations.
Despite criticism from former club captain Roy Keane, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford insists he is ready to match the club’s “high expectations.”
Rashford has made a tremendous comeback under new manager Erik ten Hag, after suffering through the most disappointing and miserable season of his career last season. He added to his recent revival by scoring twice as a half-time replacement in Thursday night’s comeback triumph against Omonia Nicosia.
The 24-year-old has already made a significant contribution to Ten Hag’s team this season, scoring the game-winning second goal in a win over Liverpool before adding two more goals in a win over league leaders Arsenal. Rashford has cemented himself as the team’s first-choice striker.
However, he claimed that Manchester City’s 6-3 derby win over Manchester United last week was a “embarrassment” – and the striker has not been immune to criticism. After one defeat, former club captain Keane remarked of him:
“Really shocking. Shrugging his shoulders when things weren’t going his way. You roll your sleeves up at Manchester United.”
Rashford has now reacted to those comments by stating that he has been dissatisfied with his recent personal and team production but added:
“There have been times I was disappointed but that’s normal, isn’t it? We are all players who like to win, that is the reason we play for Man United. We have such high expectations of ourselves and each other. Ask any of us and we’re not happy to lose or even draw.”
The striker added: “I’ve played a lot of games and experienced a lot of different things. At Man United, we expect to win the majority of the matches.”
Last week’s setback against City ended Ten Hag’s squad’s four-game Premier League winning streak, and Rashford is certain the team can bounce back:
“I think we are definitely improving though there are obviously things we need to tighten up on and improve. The last league game at City wasn’t good enough by anyone’s standards and we felt we let people down. It was a bit embarrassing after the game.
“But as you know these results can happen in football and the only way to come back from it is to bounce back and win your next game as we did against Omonia Nicosia on Thursday. The manager has a very clear identity and way of playing which I think makes it easier to adapt to him. Even in pre-season I felt that he got his messages across quickly and direct and the players took those messages on board.”
The striker concluded: “We are going to keep improving under him. It’s still early days and the more we get to know him, the better we will become and the more he gets to know us as well.”
