If Ruben Amorim was watching Manchester United’s lacklustre home draw against Chelsea, then the Portuguese boss will already know the size of the task that awaits him. Despite briefly leading through a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the second half, the hosts again clearly lacked a cutting edge in front of goal.
Alejandro Garnacho, the club’s top Premier League scorer this season with just two, missed a clear opportunity while Rasmus Hojlund went 68 minutes without having a touch in the opposition box.
When the Dane did get the ball in front of goal he ultimately won the penalty that led to the opener, but he again cut a frustrated figure for much of the afternoon as he was starved of service.
But one of United’s clearest chances came just before the break when Bruno Fernandes picked out Marcus Rashford in the area. The former England forward could only volley inches over though, with his attempted finish lacking conviction.
United icon Paul Scholes wasn’t about to let him off the hook either. Speaking on Premier League Productions, he argued that Rashford made the chance appear more difficult than it actually was.
“I expect him to do better,” he said. “I think he is trying to make the goal look better by going high into the roof of the net. It is quite a simple side-foot volley from seven yards. All he has to do is keep it down.”
The miss compounded another unconvincing display from the 27-year-old, who continues to look bereft of confidence. He’s scored four times for the club this season, but three of those have come in cup competitions.
Those stats follow a 2023/24 campaign where he struck just eight times in 43 appearances and lost his place in the international set-up. And he continues to look a shadow of the forward who fired 30 goals the season before that, in Erik ten Hag’s first in charge.
And one of the keys to Amorim inspiring an instant upturn at Old Trafford now appears to lie with Rashford. He remains one of United’s most dangerous weapons in attack, but fans are currently only seeing flashes of threat as opposed to consistency.
The body language and all-round application also continues to be questionable, with him appearing to ease off in the first half on Sunday as Cole Palmer sped clear in possession. It now remains to be seen if a change of manager sparks a change of attitude.
For all the talk of an expected overhaul when the Sporting CP boss takes over, he’ll already be well aware that improving on a star already at the club could save him a hefty sum in the transfer market. And a motivated, in-form Rashford would not just be a major asset to Manchester United, but a big boost to a certain Thomas Tuchel as well.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk