The resurrection of Marcus Rashford

The numbers speak for themselves. After the World Cup in Qatar ended, which caused a month-and-a-half break in domestic competitions, no one has felt better about the return to normality than Marcus Rashford. The English striker has scored 7 goals in the last 6 games and is United’s main offensive threat ahead of the Manchester derby that will be played this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Since his debut in 2015, Rashford was called to become one of the fundamental pillars on which the future of Manchester United had to be based. In his first game with the “red devils” he scored a double against Midtjylland in the round of 32 leg of the Europa League, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history to score twice in a European competition and, three days later, he repeated the feat by scoring two goals against Arsenal. The Old Trafford parish was clear: a star was born.

However, injuries and confidence issues during spells for Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Ralf Rangnick pushed him into the background. From being an idol and untouchable, he found himself relegated to the bench and siren songs about a possible exit began to surface in Manchester. Until this season. With Teg Hag at the controls and after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Al-Nassr, Rashford has established himself as the reference in attack and the statistics show it. the striker has 15 goals in 25 games, tripling the figures he achieved last season and the goals scored by Antony and Martial, his main pursuers in the team’s top scorer table.

Rashford’s season is not only wowing Manchester United and Ten Hag fans, but his own teammates as well. Casemiro, “in love” with his game, surrendered to him in an interview for ESPN: “He is one of the players who has really surprised me. He is spectacular. He has an incredible way of hitting the ball, he’s strong, fast, intelligent. .

This Saturday, the 25-year-old attacker has a litmus test to confirm his resurrection: the Manchester derby. Rashford, who accumulates 8 consecutive games scoring in his own stadium, will receive the top scorer of the competition Erling Braut Haaland. A high-voltage duel between the two top scorers of the moment in English football.

Something more than a footballer

Rashford isn’t just known for his ability on the pitch. Outside of him, aware of his tough childhood and the efforts of his mother, the attacker has always turned to providing help to the most vulnerable families in the UK. “My mom worked full time, making minimum wage, to make sure we had a good dinner on the table, but it wasn’t enough. We would go to a store with everything for a pound and we would buy seven yoghurts, so we could eat one every day, “he commented in an interview with the BBC.

The Manchester United striker has carried out numerous actions that have served to make him one of the main visible heads of the movement against child poverty. He launched a campaign to help the homeless in Manchester, created a fund to counter the damage caused by the pandemic, provided with the NGO FareShare €25 million to 2.8 million British children and got Boris Johnson’s government to back down on its decision not to provide food in school canteens. Thanks to his effort and commitment to promote social and economic change, he has been recognized as a Member of the Order of the British Empire.