The pain of the past has driven Marcus Rashford on to the most prolific season of his career for Manchester United.
This time last year, Rashford was at rock bottom, bereft of confidence with just five goals to his name, having lost his place in the England squad. A year on, Rashford has a career-best haul of 24 goals, including 16 in his last 18 games, and is the man to whom United will look to end their six-year wait for a trophy in Sunday's Carabao Cup final.
Ahead of the Wembley Stadium showdown, Rashford opened up on playing through the pain barrier for nearly two years – a back injury followed by shoulder surgery which sidelined him for a combined seven months - and the physical and mental toll that took on him.
“To be honest, I don't think anyone - apart from the people at the club – knows how long I was dealing with those issues,” said Rashford. “It wasn't just one season, it was a period of time where every day was tough and you have to just sacrifice.
“I've always been one to try and be out on the pitch as much as I possibly can and, for me, that's where I get the happiness. If I'm out injured, I'm not happy, I'm dealing with the pain and I'm not happy. So I'd rather try and deal with the pain as long as I can perform and still help the team - I'd always choose to do that.”
Rashford's goal celebration – running to the sidelines and pointing to his temple – is a nod to his new-found mental fortitude. The celebration has been copied by a number of sports stars, including Novak Djokovic, with Rashford keen to emphasise the importance of a strong mentality.
“Football is probably 95 per cent to do with your mentality,” said Rashford. “Without that side, you're just playing off ability. At the top level, it's not enough to win consistently.
“There are a lot of players who have ability, that's why they play at the top level. But what sets them apart is the mentality. I've been on both sides of it and I'm concentrating a lot more on keeping myself in that headspace.”
After Erik ten Hag was appointed last summer, Rashford undertook an intense two-week fitness camp in the US before reporting for pre-season training.
Boosted by Ten Hag's belief in him, Rashford, 25, rediscovered his goalscoring form to earn a place in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad. Rashford scored three goals in Qatar and has been unplayable since returning, claiming he instinctively knows where to be to find the net.
“I'm just in the areas to score goals more consistently,” said Rashford. “It's something I've been working on but in the last few years I feel, even the seasons where I've done alright, I could have added another 10 or 15 goals if I was more consistent in those areas.
“The staff are always giving me constant reminders. Just having those reminders, I feel like I'm just drifting into those positions now."
Despite his form, Rashford is not immune to the standards set by Ten Hag, who dropped him for the New Year's Eve trip to Wolves for being late for a team meeting.
Rashford responded in the best way, coming off the bench to score the winner at Molineux, and said Ten Hag was right to drop him. “If I was a coach, I'd have done the same,” said Rashford.
“If you don't have standards in the training ground, how do you expect to go out on the pitch and win consistently? It's impossible. It's the same thing as constant reminders about being in the right areas - constant reminders about discipline, however harsh that reminder is.
“For me, it was not starting a game but you have to accept it, you have to move forward. We spoke about it afterwards a little bit, but for me, once he made that decision, you have to respect it.”
