Marcus Rashford is now up to 24 goals for the season. It is a highly significant number for the England international.
Rashford is now two goals clear of his best ever tally from 2020/21, and he has now matched Cristiano Ronaldo‘s goal output from 2021/22.
Ronaldo struck 24 goals in all competitions last season. It was an impressive number considering United’s awful performances, and made even better considering the forward’s age of 37.
Rashford has now matched Ronaldo’s goals from last season, with three months of the season to spare.
Rashford answers Ronaldo question
Last summer there was real debate over whether Manchester United could afford to let Cristiano Ronaldo go, from a sporting sense rather than a financial one.
Ronaldo had indicated unhappiness with the direction of the club and did not attend the pre-season tour. The Times reported he told the club he wanted to leave.
United resisted letting Ronaldo go in the summer, partly due to a lack of suitable offers, and partly because of a fear of substantially weakening the team.
This was a point put forward by former United star Rio Ferdinand via Five, who asked, ‘Where do Man United find 24 goals if they let Cristiano go?’.
Ferdinand now has his answer, with Marcus Rashford stepping up as a reliable and consistent goalscorer.
Since the World Cup, Rashford has scored 16 goals in 17 games. This was the kind of scoring streak once associated with Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s scoring run has kicked into gear since Ronaldo finally left. The forward was released in November after giving an interview criticising the club.
His own form had dropped off, scoring just three goals for United in the first part of the season. Now he has joined Saudi side Al Nassr.
Rashford meanwhile is delivering beyond expectation. Even his biggest believer would have struggled to foresee this kind of leap.
Last season he scored only five times, failing to net at all between February and May. He would have settled for a season ending tally of 24 goals this time around. Now he has reached this high bar early, and will soon be closing in on the 30-goal mark.
Ferdinand’s question, asked in good faith with United not signing a striker, has been answered emphatically.
SOURCE: unitedinfocus.com
