Marcus Rashford has revealed that his brothers challenged him to score 100 goals for Manchester United before his 25th birthday, as he reached the milestone against West Ham on Sunday with just one day to spare.
Erik ten Hag's side continued their unbeaten streak thanks to a 38th-minute header from Rashford. Christian Eriksen did superbly well to pick out the 25-year-old at the back-post, as the Dane's perfectly weighted cross was headed firmly beyond the reach of Lukasz Fabianski.
Rashford's goal was always coming, as the United forward managed to fire off three shots inside the first 16 minutes, showing his attacking intent from the outset. Speaking after the game, the forward revealed that becoming the 22nd player to reach the century mark for the club had been weighing on his mind.
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"It's been on my mind the last couple of games," Rashford told Sky Sports. "I've been waiting for it to come and thankfully it did.
"It's a completely different energy around the club and the training ground. That puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now. I was struggling at times with more mental things. It wasn't really my own performance but other things off the pitch. That's the biggest difference from last season.
"Too often last season, I wasn't in the right headspace for games. I wasn't surprised by some of the stuff that was happening."
Rashford has now scored in successive matches for the first time since January, as he showed Gareth Southgate exactly why he should be included in England's World Cup squad.
If that wasn't motivation enough, it now appears that the United man had more cause for motivation thanks to a bet he had with his brothers. Taking to Instagram, Rashford revealed that his siblings had challenged him to score 100 goals for the club before his 25th birthday on Monday 31 October.
Ten Hag was asked after the game about whether Rashford can be considered an elite striker, as the Dutchman left no room for doubt with his response.
"He already is. If you score 100 [goals] for Manchester United before you are 25. But it’s about trophies to win with your club, and I think he can develop even more.
"Two headers [in successive games]: we’ve worked a lot on that, we had to improve, and you see what’s happening. He is much more consistent and resilient – already a great player but still room for improvement. Where it will end [his career] who knows, but I am sure it will be great."
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