Recent months have not been kind to Marcus Rashford.
The England international's lack of form first prompted a change of position and then led to him being dropped from a Manchester United side that has been struggling to find goals.
He has started only two of the past 11 games, with Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga being preferred on the wings by Ralf Rangnick, But with no other strikers available for the Manchester derby, Rashford seemed sure to start in a fixture where he has typically thrived.
But Rangnick had a different plan and played Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba as dual floating forwards instead of a natural striker. It would be understandable if this had not gone down well with Rashford.
MEN Sport understands Rashford is considering his future at United with his contract expiring in 2023. He is worried his lack of game-time is not giving him enough opportunity to regain form, which could also affect his place in the England set-up ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
But how can Rashford salvage his form and possibly even his career at Old Trafford? Here are three areas he certainly needs to address.
Improve decision making
One of the major issues Rashford has when he is on the field is that he struggles to make the correct decisions. When he receives the ball on the wing it seems he has already decided on what he wants to do, which is often dribbling.
He shoots or dribbles himself into danger when a pass would be much more positive to the team and allow the attacking move to continue.
When he came on as a substitute against City we saw this lack of decision making quite clearly. After United's rivals went 3-1 up, Rashford had a good chance but overdribbled in the box and invited John Stones to come and take the ball away from him.
Improve his workrate
One of the reasons that Elanga has been preferred over Rashford is his work rate off the ball. The 19-year-old winger is one of United's best pressers and constantly comes back when possession is lost to offer defensive support.
This is not specifically a fault of Rashford however, as, under Ole Gunnar Solskajer, there was no emphasis on the winger to come back and help defend. Wide forwards would remain high up the field to be ready to counter-attack.
This will not fly under Rangnick, however, and Rashford must improve in this area to regain his spot.
Wait for the next manager
At the end of the day, Rashford is still a key member of Untied's squad and everyone wants the lifelong Red to be a success at Old Trafford.
He needs expert coaching to help make up for the lack of development of his skills earlier in his career, but there is still a chance he can reach his full potential.
Both Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag, who are the main targets for the manager position at United, use wingers as a key part of their tactics, so Rashford will have a place if he works on himself until the summer to improve his overall game.
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