Marcus Rashford has scored more goals in the Europe this season than he managed across all competitions last term. The Manchester United ace was once again on the scoresheet for the Reds in midweek as they beat Real Betis to reach the last eight of the Europa League.
Erik ten Hag's side secured a 5-1 aggregate victory over the La Liga outfit. United won 4-1 in the first leg at Old Trafford and came away from the Benito Villamarin Stadium with a 1-0 win on Thursday night. Having already come up against three Spanish sides this season, the Reds will now face a fourth after being drawn against Sevilla in the quarter-finals.
Rashford will be hoping to continue his incredible goalscoring campaign - with the England international having registered 27 goals and nine assists in 43 appearances this term. The 25-year-old has, understandably, received widespread praise for his performances in a red shirt since Ten Hag arrived in the summer.
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Given that United have already won one trophy this season - and still have a good chance of winning two more - it isn't surprising that last season isn't being discussed too often these days. It was an underwhelming campaign for the club, and Rashford, like all of his teammates, struggled to deliver.
Towards the end of it, Rashford was not only enduring a torrid time in front of goal, but he was also finding himself among the substitutes. Following a victory over Brentford - where he remained on the bench - Roy Keane insisted the England international simply couldn't afford another campaign struggling in front of goal.
The Irishman, as is often the case, did not hold back with his criticism. The United legend claimed Rashford needed to get his mind back on to footballing matters and rediscover his hunger for the game.
"He seems short on confidence, I go back, I think he's taken his eye off the ball, with all his off the field stuff," Keane said on Sky Sports in May 2022. "He's got that experience, but he doesn't mix his game. Even when he's playing through the middle, I said he plays like a child.
"It's like he's not learnt from the game. I think he's lost the eye of the tiger and he's struggling to get it back. I think the hunger, he's got to get the hunger back and make runs like [Anthony] Elanga, Rashford has lost that hunger which is huge for a player."
Only Rashford will know if he did indeed lose his hunger, but he certainly has it this season. In many ways, he's once again playing with the kind of confidence the United faithful first saw when he burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2016.
As the Reds approach the season's final furlong, Rashford and his teammates will be hoping for at least another trophy, and definitely a top-four finish. He has already recorded his best goal return of his career and there are no signs the 25-year-old will slow down between now and May.
When the club made the decision to part company with Cristiano Ronaldo in November, some felt there was no obvious candidate to take on the goalscoring burden, even though the Portuguese ace was struggling for minutes under Ten Hag.
Not only has Rashford vindicated United's decision, but he's also demonstrated he is more than capable of rediscovering appetite in front of goal.
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