Rashford back to his brilliant best amidst rumours surrounding Man United future

Marcus Rashford is back to his brilliant best.   

The Manchester United forward was the difference-maker in the FA Cup win over Everton on Friday as he extended his run of goals to five in his last five appearances for the Red Devils. 

Rashford assisted Antony for the opener, put the cross in that was converted into his own net by Conor Coady for the second and then converted the penalty in added time to round off what was yet another devastating performance by the United No. 10.  

He won’t officially be credited with an assist for the own goal but even without it, Rashford has seven goal involvements in five outings following his return from the World Cup after goals and assists in wins over Nottingham Forest and the Toffees.  

It is a far cry from the version of Rashford on show last season. The United No. 10 scored just four times in the Premier League - his worst return ever - as he struggled to impact things due to injuries and managerial changes at Old Trafford.  

This time around, however, the versatile forward is back among the goals and is once again deciding games for his boyhood team. With seven Premier League goals to his name already, he is well on course to have his second-most productive campaign (currently 11 goals in 2020/21). A hot streak could even see him better the 17 he notched during the 2019/20 season.  

Erik ten Hag, who dropped the England international from his starting XI for the match against Wolves after he arrived late to a team meeting, recently heaped praise on the 25-year-old. The Dutchman said: "Again, great performance in the game but he was from the first minute in the game. As a team, we dealt good with the setback and I think Marcus was the one who goes in front and showed the conviction, showed the belief, good movement, good runs behind, taking players on. For 90 minutes he was a threat for the Everton defenders. 

"As a striker, you measure goals and assist. Definitely today he had two assists and one goal, so it's great and he has fantastic skills. When he has that mental stability he keeps going but that demands a lot from him and also us as a team, the organisation. Make sure we have the right environment and the right culture. When he keeps focus like this I'm sure he keeps this process going. 

"It's very good, it's more about bringing him in the right position - he has to do it - but make sure as a team we create spaces so he's coming as a strength. Marcus is doing really well but also is the team to get the right shape so he can bring his strengths in and then he's unstoppable with his speed, with his dribbles, with his directness." 

This all comes at an interesting time. Rashford has a little under 18 months left remaining on his current deal at Old Trafford and there have been reports over recent weeks linking him with a move away. Paris Saint-Germain are believed to be interested while a host of Europe’s elite will have a watching brief on the situation. If they are able to get a player as talented as Rashford on the cheap, it won’t be an opportunity they pass up.  

United will no doubt want to keep Rashford around. They have lost Cristiano Ronaldo while Jadon Sancho is ‘still not fit enough’ to play. Antony has failed to live up to the hype following his big-money summer move and Anthony Martial continues to be fairly erratic, blowing hot and cold on a regular basis.   

However, the fact the Red Devils seemingly wanted Cody Gakpo cannot be overlooked. The Dutch international is remarkably similar to Rashford and yet United were, by all accounts, pushing hard to bring him to Old Trafford. 

It may have not been to replace their No. 10, but adding yet another attacker to their ranks might not have gone down well with Rashford. He’s watched on over recent summers as the club have spent hundreds of millions on players who occupy similar positions to him. Had they performed as the club had hoped, Rashford might not even be starting right now. That could be something the 51-cap international considers when he weighs up his future.  

He may also ponder the new wage structure being implemented by the club. According to reports, United are going to cap the highest salary at £200,000-per-week and this could be problematic for those already at the club on more than that. Rashford falls into that category. Why would someone coming into his prime take a wage cut?

The second half of the campaign will likely shape Rashford’s long-term future. It will be fascinating to see what happens.