It is no coincidence that Manchester United are starting to get the best out of Marcus Rashford once again with the arrival of Erik ten Hag.
The 2021/22 season was one for Rashford to forget. Four goals and two assists in 25 Premier League appearances would have been a crippling disappointment to the 24-year-old, he certainly doesn't need anybody to tell him that.
Ruled out until mid-October with injury, the English forward failed to gather any momentum that would see him replicate the 2019/20 campaign of 17 league goals and nine assists. This lack of momentum during his last season with United was typified through the fact that Rashford only played for a full 90 minutes on three occasions in the league last campaign.
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This season has been a stark contrast. After enjoying what he described as a "priceless" full pre-season, Rashford has grabbed the opportunities that Ten Hag has given him with both hands.
The Dutchman has started the England international in all six of United's league games so far this season, and the United forward is already just one goal contribution away from matching his total tally from last campaign. Three goals and two assists coming in the wins over Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal have seen Rashford hit the ground running.
But a million-dollar question still needs to be answered - what has Ten Hag done differently compared to Rangnick to get the best out of him?
The former Ajax manager has brought with him a swathe of tactical changes that have helped unlock the forward's ability. However, last season's comments from Rangnick reveal a key difference in the two manager's approaches with Rashford.
The former interim United manager said: “Marcus, it’s no secret that he is not having his best time right now. It has to do with rhythm and confidence, it’s our job to help him to get this confidence back. The only thing we can do is speak to him regularly and tell him what we expect from him and what he should do. The rest has to be done by himself.
“It is possible to develop within a couple of weeks a level of confidence where you can be a different player again. We all know that Marcus can play better, but in the end he has to take the steps himself.”
Alarm bells would have been ringing in Rashford's ears as his former manager ultimately distances himself from blame due to the 24-year-old's poor form. Some players thrive from a challenge and yearn to prove their manager wrong, but not all.
When compared to Ten Hag's comments earlier this season, the difference in approaches is staggering.
He said: "I see a happy Marcus Rashford and I see some phases in his game which we could improve and we worked really hard the last two-and-a-half months with him on different aspects. He really likes it and wants to transfer it to the pitch and that is what you see in this moment. It started with happiness.
"He comes in every day, he enjoys it, he is really smiling, with a really positive vibe and, if you put all those things together, like the way of playing, you want to transfer different aspects of your game and are happy, you will have more contribution to the team, the performance and the result – and of course to your development.”
Ten Hag has given his forward the confidence boost he clearly needed to kick on and recover the form that many United fans know he is capable of.
As long as the Dutchman can keep him happy and enjoying his football, there's no reason why supporters shouldn't expect Rashford to keep up his impressive start to the season as he looks to play his best football under Ten Hag, something that Rangnick could never quite manage.
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