Marcus Rashford amazed at Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool, scoring the opening goal but is he the ideal person?
A discussion was prompted by his performance on Super as Graeme Souness Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jose Mourinho evaluated the suitability of Rashford and gave his perspectives on the type of striker this Manchester United side requirements.
Despite Rashford display at Old Trafford, Souness was that Manchester United need to bring in a proven goalscorer to replace Romelu Lukaku, who had been offered to Inter Milan during the summer.
„He is one day, but he’s not the finished article right now,“ he explained of Rashford. „He has not seen enough goals in the Premier League for Manchester United to hang their hat to him being the guy who is definitely going to take them right back to where they need. He needs assistance.
„He’s everything to be a player, but this season he has been requested to be the primary man. It is the hardest place. He’s not prepared to fill that role. He needs help. Much like the boy [Daniel] James will require help.
„It’s too much . It’s too much for any 21-year-old you can title. You can’t possess a 21-year-old as the primary person in a club of this size.
„Strikers are the hardest things to discover. That’s why they charge the most cash. He’s not precisely what you would like, and if it’s possible to land a person that makes you 30 or even 25 goals a year, you construct the rest and just take him anyway. You’re fighting for goals, that is the thing you require.
„Where Man United are today, they’ll take anything!“
Mourinho knows Rashford better than having worked closely with him. He insisted that the 21-year-old’s experience is not an issue, rather saying that he is simply far more effective from the positions that were broad.
„I don’t think he is a 9 that will play with a minimal block or which can be a target person,“ he explained. „I think he’s a man of movement, who can attack space and then strike defenders with the ball at his feet.
„I really don’t think he’s a pure 9, so it is dependent upon the model of play. If Ole needs to perform the way he played today I think Rashford is the striker because of him.
„He is young, but he is experienced. In 21 years old, he has more games in the Premier League, at the World Cup at 24, at the Europa League, compared to a few players at the Champions League.
„Therefore, for me, the point is not his age, it’s his qualities. For me, he is an excellent player in some models of play. However, as a target man, as a No 9, I don’t believe he’s the 30 goals that a high striker has.
„For me, he can get better and better and better behaving the way he did today, playing from the left side, playing with a goal man.
„However, for him to function as target man in matches where Manchester United are still dominant, playing defensive teams, against low blocks, I think that it’s difficult for him.“
Neville, nonetheless, insisted Rashford could develop into a prolific No 9, including the priority for Manchester United should not merely be to deliver in almost any striker who can score goals – but a person who is the ideal fit for the manner Solskjaer would like to play.
„He’s still young,“ Neville said of Rashford. „I consider [Roberto] Firmino when he came to England, I seem [Mohamed] Salah if he was first at Chelsea, I look at [Sadio] Mane. Occasionally players have to grow into what they are going to become.
„I believe United desire a striker such as Firmino, such as [Heung-Min] Son at Tottenham. I think [Solskjaer] wants that type of player.
„I don’t think he wants a typical striker who’s going to become a Lukaku or some [Diego] Costa. I don’t think he’s looking for that sort. I think he’s searching to get a type in a or front three.
„I feel this club has always had strikers who can play pairs, that contribute the ball off.
„I will be certain about Ruud van Nistelrooy. We won championships at centre-forward than once Louis Saha was attracted by us into partner Wayne Rooney together.
„He was nowhere near as good a finisher as Ruud or as great a striker as Ruud, but the team became better. And that is my point, I really don’t think Ole wants a striker like this; I believe he wants a mobile striker.“
Neville used Jurgen Klopp and Christian Benteke’s example . „He pitched him out the club since he didn’t suit his style of play,“ he said. „Ole’s done the same using Lukaku, also Lukaku is a much superior player than Benteke.
„Ole is not likely to sign a striker just because he scores goals, since Lukaku would have done .“
For Keane, the answer was straightforward. „Only go and receive [Harry] Kane out of Tottenham,“ he explained. „Easy. They’re in disarray. Just go and get him.“
As for Rashford,“ Keane theorised that the 21-year-old does not really wish to be the primary man, adding that he is better suited to a supporting role of Manchester United.
„Lots of gamers don’t want to be the main striker, they do not want to be the main man. I believe he wants to play in broader positions. His strength is his speed and he could influence the game more coming from clearly and broad onto the counter-attack.
„It’s still a significant problem, he does not score enough targets. “ I do not believe he’s that big physical presence if you want to be the striker at Man United. I don’t think he’s great with his back.
„But he is a talented child. He is still learning his trade. But the strain on him in the last few months, I really don’t think he has dealt with it well since he does not want to be the most important striker.“
Neueste Kommentare