Marcus Rashford started on the bench in the Manchester derby 10 months ago and that felt like a significant moment considering Ralf Rangnick chose two midfielders, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, to lead United's attack at the Etihad instead.
It's understood Rashford considered his future at the club after that game and that was not a surprise, given his stock had fallen dramatically last season, with the player looking devoid of confidence and a shadow of his former self.
At the time, sources close to the player said Rashford was training well and in good spirits, although they conceded that was not transmitting to matchdays. Rangnick did not seem to rate Rashford during his interim reign and the minutes he was given by the German were not conducive to recapturing his form, as he could not find rhythm from the bench and was stuck in a rut.
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Rashford was hopelessly unable to escape from a worsening nightmare, but a year is a long time in football and the hopelessness that Rashford felt on that afternoon at the Etihad now seems like a distant memory.
There have been 307 days since Rashford wrestled with the disappointment of being named on the bench, behind midfielders starting in his position, and he's responded to the woes of last season by returning to his very best with Erik ten Hag in charge.
It was natural for Rashford to sulk last year and to consider his options elsewhere, but his longstanding association with the club which he grew up supporting meant he wanted to fight for his future, which was inevitable with a change in manager.
But that change of manager did not guarantee an upturn to Rashford's form. It's a credit to the player that he's been able to reset, improve and return to the levels which announced him among England's most exciting attacking talents years ago.
"I struggled at times last season — more mental things, not my own performance. It was other things off the pitch. Too often last season I wasn’t in the right head space," Rashford said in October. Those issues have been addressed.
Rashford contributed just five goals and two assists last term and he's already got 13 goals and six assists by the halfway stage of this campaign. He is playing with unbridled confidence and looks dangerous whenever he receives the ball in the final third.
Rashford created the first two goals and scored the third in United's 3-1 victory against Everton in the FA Cup on Friday night and he made the game about him. Everton manager Frank Lampard lauded Rashford as 'the difference' and he was right.
The improvement in Rashford has been remarkable. He was treading water last season and his performances against Norwich at Carrow Road and Chelsea at Old Trafford, two of his worst, suggested he might actually need a change of scenery to breathe life into his career. Rashford and United are both equally grateful that hasn't been necessary.
Rashford's best return, in terms of attacking contribution, was in 2019/20 when he recorded 22 goals and 12 assists, which included 17 goals in the Premier League and that is something Ten Hag has told the player he can reproduce in this campaign.
Ten Hag thinks Rashford is capable of scoring 20 goals in the Premier League and it's possible, on current form. Rashford was unplayable in wide areas against Everton on Friday and two of their players were booked when trying to deal with him.
Both of his assists were almost identical and yet Everton could not prevent him from reproducing it for the second goal. Rashford had the numbers of Ben Godfrey and Chris Coleman throughout the game and he made the latter look leaden-footed.
There is a natural, confident flow currently about Rashford's performances. He does not think about his next step on the pitch, he merely acts, whereas last season he doubted himself and his ability, which meant he was unable to beat opponents.
Rashford left the Etihad pitch a broken man after the Manchester derby defeat in March. Just under a year later and he'll play City again next weekend, reborn and prepared to atone for the recent losses against Pep Guardiola's side.
He looks electric and his renaissance is almost complete - it just needs to be sustained.
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