It wasn't pretty, but Manchester United just about got the job done on Wednesday evening, with Erik ten Hag's side picking up a much-needed win away to Nottingham Forest to set up an FA Cup quarter-final showdown with rivals Liverpool.
Having slipped up at home to Fulham at the weekend in the Premier League – with the Manchester derby also on the horizon this weekend – the Red Devils, and their under-fire manager, could ill-afford another setback at the City Ground, with Casemiro thankfully nodding home late on to seal a hard-fought victory.
That late guided header – which also had to survive a typically excruciating VAR check – will not cloud what was another shaky showing from the Old Trafford outfit, in truth, with the makeshift side just about doing enough to hobble over the line.
A particular issue remains the lack of an orthodox option at left back in the absence of Luke Shaw, with Sofyan Amrabat forced to line up in that role last night, while the loss of Rasmus Hojlund – who had scored in six consecutive league outings – remains a continued blow, particularly after witnessing another lifeless Marcus Rashford display against the Tricky Trees.
Rashford's game in numbers vs Forest
For a short while, it looked as if things had finally clicked into gear for Ten Hag's frontline, with Hojlund's scoring spree bolstered by Alejandro Garnacho's heroics on the right flank, with the young Argentine notably netting a brace apiece against the likes of Aston Villa and West Ham United in recent months.
On the opposite side, even Rashford had somewhat found his groove after notably scoring in three successive league games in late December and early January, albeit with that brief hot streak having since deserted the Englishman – particularly amid his return to a central role.
Against the Cottagers at the weekend, the 26-year-old 'had no presence as a focal point', in the words of Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, and it was a similar tale for the trip to Nottingham, with the high profile star having just 31 touches of the ball in total – fewer than teammate Andre Onana in the sticks (42).
While some could argue that was down to the stand-in striker simply receiving a lack of service, when he did receive the ball the academy graduate rarely did much with it, losing possession on 11 occasions, while enjoying a pass accuracy rate of just 71%.
No Rashford, Giggs 2.0 signs: The dream XI Ashworth could build at Man Utd
Plenty of changes are set to occur at Man United.
ByTom LeverFeb 15, 2024
The £300k-per-week marksman notably lashed an effort wide late on when the chance was there to slide the ball across the box to Scott McTominay at the backpost, with Rashford failing to provide a single key pass nor record a single successful dribble on the night.
That outing rather summed up what has been a grim season for the Manchester native, with Ten Hag now needing to ponder whether Rashford should retain his place moving forward.
Rashford's season in numbers
With Hojlund out of the equation for the next few weeks at least, the only viable solution appears to be to deploy Rashford in that striking role, with the 5 foot 11 ace scoring 11 goals in just 19 games in that position last term – as per Transfermarkt.
That being said, the misfiring forward has previously outlined his preference for operating on the left, with it seemingly a wasted venture trying to shoehorn him into the centre of the attack, with The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell noting that such a selection was "not working again" last night.
Even if other alternatives are scarce – with Anthony Martial inevitably sidelined and young Joe Hugill out on loan – that should not spare Rashford from the axe, with the England international having hardly hit form even when featuring on the flank this term, after netting just five goals in total.
25 games (21 starts)
5 goals
2 assists
6 big chances missed
0.9 key passes per game
41% total duels won
38% aerial duels won
11.1 possession lost per game
Off-the-field issues have also plagued the mercurial talent over the course of the campaign, having notably been pictured out partying just a matter of hours after the previous Manchester derby defeat back in October.
With Pep Guardiola's imperious outfit – who hit Luton Town for six in midweek – next on the agenda for United, Ten Hag should be bold and thrust Rashford back onto the bench on Sunday afternoon, even if it means another tactical readjustment in attack.
As the aforementioned Luckhurst – who awarded Rashford a 3/10 match rating against Nuno Espirito Santo's side – stated, he looks a 'shadow of that fearless teenager' who memorably scored a brace against Arsenal eight years ago…