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Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana is backing striker Marcus Rashford to score against Manchester City in the FA Cup final. The cross-town rivals lock horns on Saturday (May 25) in a repeat of the 2023 title match, which City won 2-1.
Rashford, 26, has endured a lean season after the highs of his 30-goal 2022-23 campaign. The Englishman has bagged just eight goals and five assists in 42 games across competitions. Most of those goal contributions - seven goals and two assists in 33 games - have come in the Premier League, where United finished a lowly eighth.
The 26-year-old has contributed a goal and an assist in four games in the FA Cup, where Erik ten Hag's side have booked back-to-back finals with holders City. However, Rashford has got some much-needed backing from Onana ahead of the title match, with the custodian saying (as per ESPN UK):
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"How many goals did Rashford score last season? 30. How many has he scored this season? Seven/eight. He's a bad player? So, last season, he was good; this season, he's bad. No."
"It's just moments. You can have a bad season. You can have a bad start, but the most important thing is how you end. And Rashy, for me, is one of the best players in the world. He's facing difficulty, like us, but not only him and me but the whole club."
Onana concluded, tipping Rashford to score a brace:
"He will come back. I know my killer, will score some goals, some important goals for us, and hopefully, (on) Saturday, he will score two, and we win the FA Cup."
United are looking to win the FA Cup for the first time since their 12th triumph in 2016.
How has Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford fared against Manchester City?
Manchester United marksman Marcus Rashford has a decent record against Manchester City. In 20 games against the FA Cup holders, the Englishman has scored six times and also provided an assist.
The Red Devils have won six of those games but lost 12. United have won thrice and lost as many times when Rashford has scored against City. The last time he scored against the Cityzens was in the 3-1 Premier League loss at the Etihad earlier this season.
In the FA Cup, Rashford drew a blank against the Cityzens in the 2-1 defeat in last year's final. Can the Englishman inspire his side to back-to-back seasons with silverware?
