There were worries in September of 2015, among the Manchester United faithful that Anthony Martial might end up being a proverbial “false dawn.” The young Frenchman was so dominant in the very beginning that a “too good to be true” concern set in, or at the very minimum you knew he’d “come back to Earth.”
Then February came along and another young, previously obscure forward, Marcus Rashford, arrived with authority. Like Martial, Rashford scored at will in the beginning, and then later came closer to complying to the law of averages.
Today, Zlatan Ibrahomivic is United’s main goal scorer, with Marcus Rashford playing on the wing. Anthony Martial is still in the picture, but his productivity has slipped. How he fits/what that role will be, is still yet to be determined.
With Rashford, he’s gone from central attacker to playing out wide, and while he’s seen a decline in his scoring numbers (four goals in 19 competitions this season versus eight in 18 last campaign), he believes it’s good for him in the long run.
“Playing out wide is going to help me to develop to play in the middle in the long run,” Marcus Rashford said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. “Looking at the game from a different perspective, it’s helping my game a lot.
“When I do get a chance to go in the middle, I find things more natural now. I do think it’s helping my game.”
“When I’ve been playing as a winger, there are positions you can put the ball into for the striker and when I go back into the middle I understand those positions more than I did.
“It’s not just about showing people what you can do on the ball in those wider positions, it’s about gaining the full understanding of each position and what it takes to get that spot.
“Of course, it’s different playing wide because you have more defensive responsibilities but that’s part of the game and I want to improve those, too.”
Rashford still has designs on becoming a true, dominant center forward some day, and he has a great mentor in Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Of course, Marcus Rashford knows that he’s best served by learning and playing both positions, thus making him more versatile. He discussed the difference between the two positions as well as the mentoring he’s received from the Swede.
“Playing as a lone striker is a bit different because you are on your own and obviously it depends on what centre-halves you’re playing up against and what their skills are and their characteristics are,” he said. “One of the main things I am working on is hold-up play.
“I know my movement in behind is good so if I can get my hold-up play to improve then I’ll be a better player.”
“But Zlatan has been a big help. He’s spoken to us a lot about things he’s come up against in the past and you have to listen because he’s been there, he’s done it and he’s won a lot of trophies and that’s what we all want to do.
“It’s important we listen and take his advice on board,” Marcus Rashford added.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.