EPL

Rangnick: Rashford 'has to take the steps himself' to regain Manchester United spot

By Sports Desk April 04, 2022

Ralf Rangnick says it is down to Marcus Rashford to regain his form and confidence in order to nail down a place in Manchester United's starting line-up.

Rashford was named on the bench for Saturday's 1-1 draw with Leicester City, despite United being without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani.

United boss Rangnick instead elected to field midfielders Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba up top, before introducing Rashford in the 55th minute.

England international Rashford, who was not part of the Three Lions' squad for their March friendlies, made little impact during his time on the field as he failed to register a shot.

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand questioned whether the academy product will still be at Old Trafford next season given his lack of playing time.

However, Rangnick believes Rashford can turn things around as long as he bears responsibility for his drop in form.

"Marcus, it's no secret that he is not having his best time right now," said Rangnick, who is not expected to stay on as interim manager beyond this campaign.

"It has to do with rhythm and confidence; it's our job to help him to get this confidence back.

"The only thing we can do is speak to him regularly and tell him what we expect from him and what he should do. The rest has to be done by himself.

"It is possible to develop within a couple of weeks a level of confidence where you can be a different player again.

"We all know that Marcus can play better, but in the end he has to take the steps himself."

Rashford has started just 15 games in all competitions this season, which is level with Alex Telles for the joint-15th most among United players.

He has five goals and two assists, averaging 0.45 goal involvements every 90 minutes.

That places him behind team-mates Cavani (0.48), Pogba (0.54), Fernandes (0.63), Jesse Lingard (0.69) and Ronaldo (0.71).

The 24-year-old will be looking to regain his place in the starting line-up when United take on Everton in their next Premier League outing on Saturday.

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