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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Marcus Rashford's form in training amid disappointing on-pitch performances

Marcus Rashford is "trying hard in training" despite those efforts failing to help him on the pitch as his Manchester United struggles continue.

The forward endured another difficult evening during his side's FA Cup win over Aston Villa on Monday night.

Rashford started in attack but failed to have much of an impact as Scott McTominay bagged the winner.

The 24-year-old has only scored three times this season since returning from shoulder surgery in October, with his last strike coming in late October.

United's attacking options have meant that Rashford has been in and out of the starting XI.

The Old Trafford crowd attempted to be supportive of the academy graduate as he was hauled off against Villa on Monday night.

Rangnick is looking to get his striker back to his best and scoring goals, but sees his effort in training as a major plus.

Have Your Say! Should Marcus Rashford be a starter at Man Utd? Tell us your prediction here.

"Actually I don’t know," The German said of Rashford's form.

"He’s trying hard, he's in training, he was doing really well in the last couple of days, that's why he was quite rightly in the starting XI.

"I think in the first-half we found him quite often, we also tried to get him into the box, in the second-half that was not often the case and that's why at the end of the game I decided to make two changes with Anthony Elanga and Jesse Lingard.

"For strikers, it's important that they score goals on and off, that there are moments of success, of course, it would be good for Marcus if he could score a goal but as long as he is trying, as long as he is training well I don't see much of a problem."

Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the other options available to Rangnick.

That has meant sporadic minutes for several players, with Ronaldo generally starting more often than not.

Rashford endured a difficult summer after missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 shootout defeat to Italy.

The United star acknowledged recently that his performances had not been up to scratch but underlined his determination to rediscover his best form.

He said on social media: "We've all been disappointed with recent performances and we've been as disappointed with the news coverage questioning our commitment to not only the manager and the coaching staff, but to the club.

"I have endless respect for both and I'm looking forward to bettering my game under the staff at Manchester United.

"I'm not sulking, I'm not unhappy, am I disappointed in some of my performances? Of course I am."

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