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Three full Premier League seasons and just once scoring 10 or more league goals gives a sorry reading of Marcus Rashford’s poor goal return as a Manchester United striker.
Dating back to last season, Rashford only managed four goals in United’s last 20 fixtures - averaging one in every five games, which is nowhere near what The Red Devils need from him at the moment.
The goal drought is likely to continue
Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson and Robin van Persie left Old Trafford, Manchester United fans have been crying out for a potent goal-scorer and looking at Rashford's recent record, he is not the man for the job.
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At the start of 2019-20 season, United manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer trusted Rashford and Anthony Martial as his key goal scorers after the departure of both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.
While Rashford started this season on a positive note with two goals against Chelsea, he has failed to score in each of his last three Premier League games, including a penalty miss against Crystal Palace.
Playing out of position could be the reason?
Many people claim Rashford is often used in wide areas where he does not have enough chances to score. While there is reasoning in that argument, we also see Rashford clear on goal in most games but he more often than not fails to convert those chances.
Rashford started his United career by scoring a brace in his first two games (vs FC Midtjylland & Arsenal) but since then, his scoring prowess has only gone downhill.
While Solskjaer is more likely to stick with Rashford as his key frontman in rotation with Anthony Martial, according to reports from The Mirror, even the United manager is growing tired of the missed chances and horror shooting from Rashford in recent games.
The United manager is concerned about the rate at which Rashford is missing the scrappy chances and seems to be off his game in the final third, however, one believes Solskjaer needed to think this through a few weeks back before the start of the season.
With the Premier League transfer window already closed, United are stuck with Rashford playing up top. Their only other striking option is a 17-year-old starlet Mason Greenwood.
Rashford’s “One Trick Pony” approach has to change
It seems there is there no way out for Manchester United from this striking conundrum. Due to the lack of attacking options up front, Rashford is likely to start almost all the key matches for The Red Devils, barring any serious injury.
While it pains most of the United fans to see Rashford miss glaring chances, his “Dribble-Fail-Repeat” approach which needs to be seriously looked at by the coaching staff and the player himself.
He gets the ball, tries to flick it past his nearest defender in hope to get a run on him, only to fail and turnover the possession.
At one stage, it seemed like Rashford is the true heir to the likes of Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Wayne Rooney, and Robin van Persie. However, at the moment, this notion seems farther and farther away from the truth.
The lack of goals is indeed a factor that is hampering Rashford's confidence on the pitch. As many strikers will tell you, it is a matter of just one goal and everything seems to be normal again.
Rashford needs to catch that lucky break from somewhere, perhaps going away on the international duty will help the 21-year-old to regain his finishing touches.
