Marcus Rashford’s form has become the latest symptom of Manchester United’s struggles

“I think he knows he can do better and I am sure it will come,” said Ten Hag. Rashford did indeed do better for the Dutchman; several players improved under him last year but none more than the Mancunian, who was transformed from the increasingly lost soul who scored a mere five times in 2021-22. And yet it is startling to note that his goals that campaign came at a return of 0.29 per 90 minutes in the Premier League. Now his average is barely half that, at 0.15.

Amid United’s struggles, it is tempting to suggest he has not had chances. It is also not true. Only Erling Haaland has had more shots in the division than Rashford, with 28. It gives him a lowly 3.6 percent chance conversion rate. He has never averaged more shots per 90 than his current 4.08; yet only six all season have been on target. By way of comparison, almost half his efforts last season – 49 of 108 – were on target and in each of the last five seasons, at least 42.5 percent have been. It may in part be because his non-penalty xG per shot is down from 0.16 last season to 0.09 now; in short, they are less clear chances and more optimistic efforts.

It may be an early-season small sample size; certainly it is influenced by Rashford’s display against Brighton, when he was both rampant and profligate, with nine efforts in his most dominant display of the season. His campaign has arguably already taken him from out of form to in and back again. He was ineffectual as the main striker in the first two games, better when reverting to the left as he played a part in three goals against Nottingham Forest and scored at Arsenal.

Yet he has regressed since then; his performances against Burnley and Palace have a familiar frustration. Too often Rashford takes the wrong decision and a player in his mid-twenties ought to show a greater awareness of teammates. “The team has to work around him, and they have to invest a lot,” said Ten Hag. “The decision-making wasn’t good enough and then we don’t score.”

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If it was a broader criticism of the choices his side made than specifically of Rashford, the damning element was that Alejandro Garnacho looked far more dangerous on the left flank against Palace. If the young Argentinian has a tendency to look brighter as a substitute, Rashford’s potency as a starter last season could have offered United the best of both worlds.

And yet, even in the finest year of his career, his goals began to dry up. Since February, Rashford has four in 18 league matches. Interrupted by injury, affected by fatigue, his form started to slip then. Yet now the signature success of Ten Hag’s time is struggling. And if he isn’t scoring then neither, with just seven goals in seven games, are Manchester United.

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