Former England forward Michael Owen has cast doubts over Marcus Rashford leading the way for Manchester United in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
As Ronaldo edges nearer to Al-Nassr – with latest rumours linking him with a sensational return with Sergio Ramos at the Saudi club – the opportunity for Rashford to step up and be United’s leading forward man has arisen. However, Owen – who scored 40 goals for England in 89 caps – believes that the 25-year-old will be unable to produce the amount of goals that United require on his own.
“I hear Ten Hag talking about Marcus Rashford probably needs to score 20 goals this, that and the other,” Owen said as a pundit for Amazon Prime. “Well, they had 20 goals sat right under his nose but, unfortunately, he [Ronaldo] was sat on the bench a lot of the time. Marcus Rashford is a big contributor, but he can not be your main goalscorer.
“He isn’t going to be scoring you 30 goals a season like a Wayne Rooney or a Robin van Persie or lots of other great strikers over the years. He will contribute double figures every year from that left-hand side. If you said Manchester United were going to play him down the middle and he’s going to be the main man, I would question it. It’s great to see him back, but he contributes to this team. He’s not your main man.”
Rashford bounced back from a disappointing 2021-22 with an impressive 10 goals and four assists across all competitions so far this campaign. His performances earned him a call up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad, where he scored three goals despite not being afforded a plethora of minutes in Qatar. The 25-year-old has continued his fine form after the international break, with two goals and an assist against Burnley and Nottingham Forest since club football resumed.
The Englishman’s contributions secured a routine 3-0 win over Forest on United’s first Premier League game back, and the Red Devils will hope to climb further up the table when they take on Wolves on New Year’s Eve.
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