Marcus Rashford has admitted he considered leaving Manchester United “a little bit” last summer but Erik ten Hag’s arrival as manager changed his stance.
The season before the Dutchman replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjær as the permanent manager was a difficult one for the England forward. He managed only five goals and did not score after January, with his confidence particularly low. In the close season there were reports that Paris Saint-Germain were interested in buying him from his boyhood club. Rashford was asked if he had considered leaving.
“Before the manager [Ten Hag] came maybe a little bit, but it’s football, it happens,” the 25‑year‑old forward said. “Everything is going to happen for a reason and he came to the club at the right time for me, the timing worked out.”
Under Ten Hag, Rashford scored 30 goals – the first time a United player had done so in one season since Robin van Persie a decade before. He outlined what changed under the new manager.
“Freedom – we were just a little bit rigid in the past. Sometimes you’re not enjoying your football and that was the case with me – I wasn’t enjoying my football as much as I should be, as much I was used to enjoying it,” Rashford said. “Because of that it influenced my performance and ultimately that’s how I am as a person. If I’m not happy then it’s difficult for me to play my best football.
“Just a little bit more freedom and a little bit more stability – that gives you the baseline to try and showcase your abilities. I enjoy scoring goals, making assists, playing in the forward areas and trying to cause a threat to the other team.”
Ten Hag said last week that the forward can be as successful in the new season if he has the correct attitude. Rashford agreed. “It’s concentration, if I’ve got the concentration, sometimes you might not have a chance all game and you get that one chance and you have to take it. If I can stay focused on that then I think I can definitely score more goals than I did last season. But I have to be in the goalscoring positions to get the chances, that’s the main focus.
“He [Ten Hag] always wants you to improve, whether it’s physically or mentally. For us as players it’s important he works on both sides with us and if he sees an obvious place to make improvement then he doesn’t shy away from telling you it. It’s important for development and you never really stop developing throughout your career.”
Rashford is ambitious to be considered in the same bracket of forward as Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and hopes to surpass last season’s goalscoring feats. “You do have to be consistent with it,” he said. “For me it’s important I get consistent opportunities, it’s up to me to take it on, I have to keep getting in the right areas and hopefully the goals keep coming.
“It’s always the purpose of your career, you want to keep improving. Sometimes it’s not always statistically but if you can improve your performance you will take it any way you can. Hopefully I can get more goals and do more, but I’ll be equally happy if we spread the goals out more and everyone gets five or six more goals and that means we’re doing better than last season.”
When Bruno Fernandes signed a new contract last year he sought and was given assurance that United would match his ambition to win trophies. Rashford recently agreed new terms but did not feel the need to do the same as the captain.
“Now the conversation is a little bit different because I think it’s clear, the manager is very ambitious and he has been since the minute he stepped in,” Rashford said. “I didn’t really have any doubt in my mind about that.
“I’m hungry to keep improving and when the squad and the players and the staff keep improving and getting used to each other, pushing ourselves to be better than we were the year before, ultimately that’s the only way we’re going to get back to winning trophies consistently.”
