I vividly recall the first time Marcus Rashford stepped onto the field for Manchester United. It was an unusual sight. He wasn’t originally slated to play that day, but fate conspired to thrust him into a pivotal role, leading the club’s attack in a crucial Europa League match against Midtjylland at Old Trafford.
Anthony Martial, initially in the starting lineup, suffered an injury during warm-ups. The next in line, Ashley Fletcher, had left on loan to Barnsley just a month prior. Thus, the narrative of Marcus Rashford’s journey began unfolding weeks before his senior debut.
Rashford seized the unexpected opportunity spectacularly, scoring two goals that night. He followed this up with another impressive performance against Arsenal at Old Trafford three days later. This introduction ranks among the club’s best in the last two decades.
However, despite this impactful debut, opinions about Rashford have varied. Some assert he hasn’t fulfilled the early promise, even deeming him unfit for the club. Regardless of these perspectives, certain realities define his progression since his debut:
- He stands as the club’s top attacker.
- He holds the record for the most goals for the club.
- He boasts the highest number of winning goals for the club.
- Across seven full seasons, he achieved 20+ goals three times, a remarkable feat compared to peers in similar roles across Europe’s Top 5 leagues.
- With 126 goals, he is on track to rank among the club’s top 5 all-time goal scorers.
Critics continue to scrutinize him, but the numbers undeniably depict a player who is doing well so far. As Rashford’s journey unfolds, further chapters of success and triumph may emerge.
For this incomplete journey to be fruitful, there remaineth a small matter that needs addressing.
That matter is: What is Marcus Rashford’s best position?
The prevailing consensus is that the left-wing [LW] suits him best, where his skills find optimal utilization. Some also believe that he does not have the capacity to deliver as a centre forward [CF].
The player has also said that he prefers to come in off the left side of attack.
He once stated, “I prefer the left, I feel like on the left it’s easier to stay in the game. From even when I was younger I always wanted to stay in the game, that’s why I think I struggle playing centre-forward sometimes because I struggle with patience.”
For Marcus, he wants to be very involved in the game and he believes the scope for that is limited when he is central. To be fair, this is a relatively familiar perception from players [past & present].
Wayne Rooney once said he hated playing as a centre forward, even when the numbers reflected that he was significantly productive [as a goalscorer] when he played there.
In Rooney’s words, ‘I weren’t enjoying it, but it was my best two years of scoring. I remember coming off the pitch and scoring two goals and saying, “I was awful. I didn’t play that well today. I didn’t have that many touches of the ball.”’
Their common perspective is understandable. Truly, players can get lost during games while playing as a CF.
Yet, for Marcus to enjoy a more consistent goalscoring performance in the next 5–7 years, functioning as a CF might be the key. Despite subjective opinions, the numbers hint at a pattern. When Rashford occupies the central role, his output is commendable. [Somebody probably shrieked. Lol].
Let’s see the story the numbers tell:
Between his debut and the final game of the 22/23 season, Man Utd played 278 league matches and Marcus featured in 239 [86%] of them. His 239 appearances were distributed across different attacking roles — LW, CF, & RW — with a notable impact in both LW and CF positions.
Comparing his output on the LW with that as a CF, the difference is marginal, challenging the notion that LW is his unequivocal best position.
His overall goal ratio as a LW in the EPL translates to 0.35, while his goal ratio as a CF in the EPL translates to 0.30. What do you think? Marginal or Significant?
In the 15/16 season, Louis Van Gaal (LVG) introduced him to us as a CF. He bubbled and gave a good account of himself in that role for the rest of the season. He showed adequate promise in that role that enhanced the belief of many that he’d be the club’s leading striker for years to come.
However, subsequent managers [e.g., Jose Mourinho] and signings [e.g., Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku] shifted him to the wings. Therefore, he did not get the kind of continuity he needed to grow as a CF and it shows in the numbers.
It should be noted that the spell under Jose, whilst challenging, helped him build some character, gain experience in other positions, and develop other aspects of his game that served him well in subsequent seasons.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose during the 18/19 season, he immediately gave Marcus a run as a CF who delivered instantly by scoring in 6 of Ole’s first 8 league games. It appeared like Ole was finally going to provide Marcus with the required continuity as a CF. However, at the start of the 19/20 season, Ole had other ideas.
Marcus got the continuity he needed at that stage of his career, but it came on the LW. Ole’s idea looked to have turned out to be a masterstroke. As reflected in the numbers, Marcus delivered well on the LW in Ole’s two full seasons at the club and set himself to be one of the best LWs in Europe.
After those two seasons, it felt like any conversation about Marcus as a CF was ended. I mean, he was building a good reputation as a LW, why bother with being a CF?
The 21/22 season came, and it was what it was, a disaster class for the club. Even Marcus had no joy. Whether as a LW, a CF, or a RW. No joy. Again, the numbers tell the story.
Marcus followed that season with his best individual season yet, in 22/23, under Erik ten Hag [EtH], his 4th permanent manager in 9 years.
Marcus’ success lied in how EtH used him. The numbers show that EtH wasn’t biassed toward one of the two positions for him. We see that his appearances and output in both roles were practically the same. EtH’s idea appeared to hinge on getting Marcus closer to goal as frequent as possible.
To an extent, that idea was quite similar to Ole’s. While Ole was biassed toward having Marcus on the LW, his set up was a set up that encouraged Marcus to regularly move inward towards goal, hanging on the shoulder of the last defender.
In this situation, apart from needing a good creative midfielder [Bruno Fernandes], Ole also needed a CF who was more team-oriented and less hungry for goals to help facilitate his ideas for Marcus on the LW. This is where Anthony Martial comes in.
It’s not a coincidence that Rashford’s best individual seasons at the club have Martial featuring as the first choice CF. The relationship between Rashford and Martial on the pitch could best be described as a striking partnership, instead of a winger-striker relationship. Although, this was truer under Ole than it was under EtH since Martial frequently got injured in 22/23.
While his league experience as a CF vary with the different managers he played under, Marcus delivered well when used as a CF in cup competitions.
In cup competitions, where rotations were more frequent, Marcus sometimes found himself leading the line. His performances in these scenarios were noteworthy. While some might argue that the level of competition in some of these games is lower,cup competitions come with their own challenges, and Marcus consistently rose to the occasion.
So, is Marcus Rashford a better left-winger or a centre forward? The answer seems to lie in a nuanced understanding of his career trajectory. His numbers reveal a player who has managed himself well in both positions but perhaps benefits from continuity in one.
As he moves forward in his career, the choice between these roles could hinge on the tactical needs of the team and the style of the manager.
That being said, I think it is time for him to take an assured ownership of his career. So far, he has been a willing servant for his managers who have needed him to dance to their flip floppy tactical tunes.
His core strengths are clear, his numbers are evident, and he has shown that he can be trusted to deliver when he plays closer to goal and not pinned to the wings to hold the width or function as an auxiliary full back.
Afterall, in each of his three most productive seasons for Man Utd, the club didn’t finish lower than 3rd in the league. The club also made deep cup runs, getting to semi-finals and finals. The more experienced strikers that came to the club can’t boast of that despite their goals. So, Marcus playing closer to goal [in a manner that Ole & EtH tried to utilise him in his most productive seasons] doesn’t just benefit him, it also benefits overall team performance.
I think it’s time for him to take ownership and not leave his career to the whims of volatile managers. Demand to play in a role [or system] that increases his goalscoring odds. Like I earlier opined, if he hopes to enjoy a more consistent goalscoring performance in the next 5–7 years, functioning as a CF [whether main or auxiliary] is where the key lies.
If he doesn’t start getting the required continuity needed for a CF, a time will come when he’ll be considered too old for the rigours of a winger and not experienced enough to be efficient as a striker.
In this moment, it doesn’t look like my recommendations for him can be implemented at Manchester United. If that continues to be the case in the next 12–18 months, Rashford might need to consider exploring opportunities elsewhere, carefully researching and selecting a club or manager that aligns with his playing style and career aspirations.
I know football can be fluid, but the sport has seen players play the odds well and benefited from it. It’s time Marcus did.
A few things to note:
- I went through [I don’t mean watched] all the matches Man Utd played between Marcus Rashford’s debut and the end of the 2022/2023 season to gather data for this article.
- I relied on my memory of the matches and information from the Transfermarkt website to categorise the positions Marcus Rashford played in each of the games he featured in.
- The league goals counted here does not account for situations where Marcus Rashford switched position during a game and then scored. For instance, against Leeds United in the 2022/2023 season [home and away], he did not start as a CF, but during the game, the manager moved him central, and he scored on both occasions.
- A winning goal in this article refers to the goal(s) a player scored to win a game when the scoreline was level. For instance, if the scoreline was 1–1 and a player ends up scoring to ensure the club won 2–1, it counts as a winning goal. If the scoreline was 2–0 before the opposition scored to make the full time score 2–1, there is no winning goals. Instances where a player scores multiple goals when the scoreline was level also count as winning goals. E.g: Martial’s hattrick against Sheffield.
- The Cup competitions include UEFA Champions League [UCL], UEFA Europa League [UEL], The English F.A. Cup, and the English League Cup.
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Thank you.
Extra: Click to see a thread of 26 memorable moments from Marcus Rashford
