Marcus Rashford has long harboured ambitions of leading the line as Manchester United's No.9 - and he could get the chance to stake a claim in his favoured spot after making his feelings clear to Erik ten Hag.
According to reports, Rashford was deployed in a central attacking role against Liverpool after reiterating his desire to be played down the middle during a meeting last week where United players were given the platform to air any grievances.
As outlined by The Sun, Ten Hag responded to Rashford by pledging to give him a chance in the coveted No.9 spot - and his decision to do so was immediately vindicated by the United academy graduate, who plundered the decisive goal in a 2-1 win to cap an electric individual performance.
Given Rashford's impact, it seems likely that Ten Hag will be true to his word and give the 24-year-old an opportunity to stake a claim for a central role in the coming weeks.
But Ten Hag's stance is different to that of former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who previously warned that Rashford does not have the credentials to play as a No.9 in a team that intends to play on the front foot; one of Ten Hag's hallmarks.
Speaking back in 2019, Mourinho said: "I am not going to say he cannot ever be a number nine, he can be a dangerous number nine especially if the opposition is not pragmatic, is not close and is giving spaces to attack. He can be dangerous in transitions.
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"But when Manchester United is a team that normally plays against teams who go to Old Trafford, close the door, bring the bus, bring the double bus, he is not a striker to play with his back to the goal. He is not the target man, he doesn’t score as many goals as a striker should do. So I think from the side you will get him to numbers of 10-12 goals per season.
"He is very professional, he works for the team, he understands what you tell him to do from the defensive point of view. Playing from the sides he can be a very good player, probably better than at nine. But he feels he is a number nine and I think the club and the manager feel he is."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Mourinho after the Portuguese coach was dismissed and managed to get the best out of Rashford, who enjoyed his most prolific spells during the Norwegian's tenure.
But Rashford's form has collapsed so drastically over the past 18 months that there were even question marks over his long-term future at Old Trafford before Ten Hag's arrival earlier this summer.
Although his superb performance against Liverpool was certainly a start, it remains to be seen if Rashford can get back to the peak of his powers and prove Mourinho wrong over the coming months.
It appears as though Ten Hag is prepared to give Rashford the opportunity to stake a claim in his desired spot - it's up to Rashford to make the most of it.
