Can Marcus Rashford Act As The Main Striker In Romelu Lukaku’s Absence?
Manchester United’s problems seem to show no signs of slowing down and the injury to Romelu Lukaku comes as a massive blow to the team. Already struggling to put in convincing performances, the Red Devils slipped from 2nd place to the 3rd, with Chelsea going ahead of them, only for the Red Devils to climb back up to 2nd after the win against Everton yesterday, although the Blues now have a game in hand. Ever since the season began last term, United have managed to maintain a stronghold on the second spot but of late, things have looked increasingly turbulent at Old Trafford.
They are not winning games and seem to lack attacking intent. Accused of putting in deeply defensive displays, club manager Jose Mourinho is miffed with his lack of depth up front – a fact that has been harshly highlighted with Lukaku’s absence.
The towering Belgian, who was signed by United in the summer for £75m, was a part of a nasty clash against Southampton and it was thought he would be out for quite some time. However, manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that the target man will be back in a week. He played every single match since the opening day due to a lack of options and the player was clearly in need of a rest.
Although he will get that now, the fans will hope it does not come at the expense of something greater. They do have Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the ranks but the Swedish star has been sidelined since last season due to a cruciate ligament injury. He came back and was believed to have recovered but has now suffered a setback again and reports have confirmed that he will be out for a month.
This leaves United in a very precarious position and Mourinho would be scratching his head for a solution. The Portuguese manager is likely to turn to Marcus Rashford to temporarily hold the fort up front. Anthony Martial could be yet another option but he seems more suited for the left wing. A trio of Martial, Rashford and Jesse Lingard could considerably help United sail through.
Rashford seems to have a penchant for playing on the shoulders of the last defender and that has helped United look stronger and more fluid on several occasions. Moreover, the player does have experience playing in that position since Mourinho relied on him towards the end of last season after Ibrahimovic was sidelined. He may have scored only once in those appearances but his form does look more solid this time. Hence, it will be interesting to see if Rashford can put up a better show in an area where United desperately need to perform better.