Is Marcus Rashford up to being the face of Manchester United?

Marcus Rashford is the new face of Manchester United, but he is up to the task of carrying the club?

Not long after the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United manager (at that time on an interim basis), a picture was produced of the Norwegian sat on the training pitch deep in conversation with, among others, Marcus Rashford. It was illustrative of the understanding that looked to have been struck very quickly between coach and player.

In Solskjaer, Rashford appeared to have the perfect mentor. The Norwegian was one of the greatest goalscorers to have ever played for the Old Trafford outfit and Rashford presented him with a young talent to mould in his own image. The early signs were good as the 21-year-old netted five times in Solskjaer’s first seven games in charge.

There was also match-winning goals against Leicester City, Wolves, Watford and most notably Paris Saint-Germain, a victory that all but earned Solskjaer the United job on a permanent basis. Since then, however, Rashford has lost his way somewhat. His goal against Liverpool on Sunday reminded us all of the player he can be, so why has he shown it so infrequently this season?

Solskjaer very quickly identified Rashford as the player he wanted to be the face of his Manchester United team. The Norwegian surely saw something of himself in the 21-year-old. As a player, Solskjaer never relied on his strength or pace, but instead honed his skill as an instinctive, clinical finisher in front of goal. Rashford possesses more pace than Solskjaer ever did, but he too is a striker who relies on his mind as much as any physical attribute.

Jose Mourinho saw Rashford primarily as a winger, only ever using him through the middle when no other central options were available. Why the Portuguese thought the 21-year-old was better suited to playing out wide has become clearer in recent weeks. Rashford has lacked the killer instinct needed to see off opposition teams and secure much-needed points.

Man Utd is a club defined by its great centre forwards over the decades. Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham, Solskjaer… they all carried the club at one point or another, providing the firepower for some of the greatest triumphs in the club’s history.

For all his talent and potential, Rashford has yet to demonstrate that he can join such company as a great Manchester United centre forward. He doesn’t move in the way a proven goalscorer does. At times, his teammates play passes anticipating a run that just doesn’t come. Solskjaer still has a lot of work to do to turn Rashford into the striker he clearly needs.

A new £250,000-a-week contract signed over the summer made Rashford one of United’s highest earners. This deal has, with justification, been closely scrutinised by those who argue the 21-year-old has done little to deserve such renumeration. That new four-year contract is a reflection of the player Man Utd want Rashford to become rather than the one he is now.

“Marcus is a centre forward who can play left, right and as a No 10,” Solskjaer explained ahead of Rashford’s goalscoring display against Liverpool. “He wants to be able to play all the positions. I want him to be facing the goal, I want to be direct and attacking quickly, so at the moment I see him coming in off the left or as part of a two up front. He’s a scorer of great goals, as he did for England. I want him to become a great goalscorer – and that’s a different mentality. At the moment, he’s learning his trade.”

The problem is Man Utd can’t wait much longer for Rashford to learn said trade. They need a frontman and a proven goalscorer right now. It might already be too late to salvage this season, with the Old Trafford outfit just two points above the Premier League’s bottom three, but Rashford must start showing more regularly that it’s only a matter of time until he blossoms.