Rashford vs Asensio – Statistical comparison shows Manchester United should sign the Real Madrid attacker

Marcus Rashford vs Marco Asensio – Should Manchester United Make A Move For The Real Madrid Attacker?

Manchester United are reportedly interested in a January move for Real Madrid attacker Marco Asensio. The 21-year-old has not received adequate game time this season and is understood to be keen on exiting the Santiago Bernabeu.

With the January window up and running, the Red Devils might just take advantage of that and try to lure him to Old Trafford. There is no doubt that United could use some fresh faces in their attacking lineup and a young star like Asensio is likely to help them do a lot better in the coming days.

United started the season on a strong note but their power has fizzled out lately and they have been doing the bare minimum to retain the 2nd spot in the league standings. However, if they are to truly cement that spot for themselves, they need to score more goals. Jose Mourinho has been accused of making them play defensive football. Although Jesse Lingard has been quite strong, it will certainly not hurt the club to have a player like Asensio.

But how does he compare to Marcus Rashford? Even he is quite young and they predominantly occupy the left-wing area and it will be interesting to see how Mourinho utilises them together. For now though, let’s take a look at their stats.

Marcus Rashford vs Marco Asensio

In 28 appearances for United in all competitions this season, Rashford has spent 1529 minutes on the field. He has scored 7 goals and has provided 5 assists, even picking up 2 yellow cards in the process. He averages 2.1 shots per game and boasts of a pass success-rate of 76.5%. He wins about 0.5 aerial battles per game and was declared as the Man Of The Match on one occasion.

Asensio, on the other hand, has appeared 20 times for Real Madrid across competitions, having spent 1076 minutes on the field. He has scored 4 goals and has provided 3 assists. He also has a solitary yellow card to his name. He averages 1.9 shots per game but his pass success-rate stands at a whopping 90.4%. Interestingly, the player has been declared as the Man Of The Match twice this season.

Verdict

Despite playing lesser than Rashford, Asensio’s numbers seem to be on par with him on a lot of levels. Thus, it is quite clear that he is definitely an option worth pursuing. The fact that he has managed to score 4 goals and 3 assists despite not getting regular game time is quite commendable. Even for Romelu Lukaku or Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score, a player like Asensio could prove to be quite useful.