Roy Keane has admitted that he initially doubted if Marcus Rashford had the personality to succeed at Manchester United.
The England international has been in the form of his life and has scored 25 goals and provided nine assists in 39 games across competitions this season. He has scored in all but one of his team's last 10 Premier League games.
Rashford's form has helped Manchester United open up a four-point lead over fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand. He is expected to start against Liverpool in the Northwest derby later today (March 5).
Speaking ahead of the game, Keane, who played for the Red Devils for 12 years until 2005, told Sky Sports (h/t Daily Mail):
"He’s in great form. I wasn’t sure if he had that personality but he has, he’s taken the responsibility. I think he’s enjoyed the responsibility. He’s in the form of his life, clear mentally, he’s focusing on his football now, it’s his priority and he’s getting rewards."
Rashford struggled under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and interim boss Ralf Rangnick last season, scoring just four times in 25 league games. Things have evidently been different under manager Erik ten Hag.
Fans have also credited Manchester United's forwards coach Benni McCarthy for the 25-year-old's upturn in form. He was hired under Ten Hag last summer and has been working with the club's attackers this season.
Manchester United boss 'looking forward' to playing Liverpool at Anfield
Erik ten Hag has claimed that he is looking forward to managing his team in front of a capacity Anfield crowd for the first time in his career.
The Dutchman faced the Reds at Anfield on December 1, 2020 as Ajax's head coach. The Dutch side lost the UEFA Champions League group-stage match by a 1-0 margin in front of an empty stadium due to COVID-19 regulations.
This time around, Liverpool fans will be present in numbers and will make L4 a cauldron of noise to help their team beat Manchester United. Ten Hag's side have already been warned by Gary Neville of the impact Anfield can have on such games.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Dutch tactician said (h/t Official club website):
"'I've seen the games between Liverpool and Manchester United. I've been, I know what's going on there [Anfield]. I have been already in many hostile stadiums but it will probably be the worst - maybe. But I have been in other occasions too that are really hostile so I know what's going on there and I'm really looking forward and my players are the same."