Harry Watkinson
Analysing Marcus Rashford’s last three seasons: still an asset, or wasted potential?
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has been linked with a move to PSG in recent weeks, but should the Red Devils keep him or cash in while they can?
This article breaks down Rashford’s stats from his last three seasons to analyse whether he still has something to offer in the Premier League.
With his recent dip in form, is it time for the Manchester-born striker to move on?
2019-20: Peak Rashford?
Rashford originally burst onto the scene as a relatively unknown youngster, but by the 2019-20 season, he had a lot of pressure on him to perform, even though he was only 21.
Despite the weight on his shoulders, he delivered… and then some. The 2019-20 campaign was arguably his best in a Manchester United shirt and many fans thought he was finally reaching his sky-high potential.
It was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first season at Old Trafford and the United faithful were full of optimism… it promised to be a season, with the signing of Bruno Fernandes as well as Anthony Martial and young Rashford looking like one of the Premier League’s best striker partnerships, where they could challenge for the title once again.
Rashford certainly lived up to the hype. In 44 appearances across all competitions, he scored 22 goals and made 12 assists for the Red Devils, averaging an impressive 0.77 goal contributions per game.
He carried himself confidently at the time. Rashford was one of the best in the division at running with the ball, averaging 1.9 successful dribbles per match and with his lightning-fast pace, he always looked dangerous.
Rashford also created chances for his teammates, making 1.1 key passes per game and as mentioned he made 12 assists across the campaign. He had a particularly fruitful partnership with Anthony Martial, who scored 23 goals in 2019-20 – also his best season at United.
The English forward also ended up winning the club’s goal of the season award for a Ronaldo-Esque 40-yard free-kick against Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round, so the hype around him was at its all-time peak.
Unfortunately, United ultimately finished third but were miles away from their rivals Liverpool who won the title, 23 points ahead of them. They also got knocked out of the League Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League at the semi-final stage, adding to their disappointment.
However, for Rashford, it was still a fantastic campaign and the youngster looked to be turning into a player who could potentially be United’s next superstar.
Played: 44
Pass success: 77.3%
Key passes per 90: 1.1
Dribbles per 90: 1.9
Shots per 90: 3.1
Assists: 12
Goals: 22
Goal contributions per game: 0.77
2020-21: Solid stats, but confidence shaken
2020-21 was another promising season for United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, where they seemed to get one step closer to returning to their title-winning days. Rashford, however, didn’t really improve as many thought he would… but he still had a decent campaign.
Rashford played a LOT of games. In total: playing in the Champions League, the Europa League, the FA and League Cups and the Premier League, he featured 57 times… clearly, he was one of the first names on the team sheet for the Reds.
Although, while some of his stats improved, his goal contributions per game decreased from 0.77 per game to 0.63 – a significant drop. This was arguably a consequence of Rashford playing more as a winger due to the arrival of Edinson Cavani, who generally filled the number nine role.
The Englishman was not as clinical in front of goal. His shots on target per match decreased from 3.1 per 90 to 2.1, and he scored 21 goals in all competitions… down from 22, but you also have to keep in mind that he played 13 more matches than in the previous season.
Some of his stats did get better, though: his pass success rate went from 77.3% to 82.1%, his key passes per game increased marginally and his successful dribbles per game went up to 2.2 per game, too. Let’s face it, scoring 21 goals is not a bad return for a young winger, but the general feeling with United fans what that he was not kicking on as they expected.
The Red Devils ultimately finished in second place, 12 points behind Manchester City. Even worse than that though was losing the Europa League final against Villarreal 12-11 on penalties; denying United their first trophy since 2017. Add that to Rashford’s personal disappointment of missing a vital penalty in England’s Euro 2021 final against Italy… many argue that it was this combination of these narrow defeats that destroyed his confidence.
Played: 57
Pass success: 82.1%
Key passes per 90: 1.2
Dribbles per 90: 2.2
Shots per 90: 2.1
Assists: 15
Goals: 21
Goal contributions per game: 0.63
2021-22: A disastrous campaign… but he was not alone
Last season was when the wheels really did seem to fall off for Rashford, but in fairness, they did for the whole Manchester United team.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo promised great things for the Red Devils… many fans were once again thinking this could be the season they could finally close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City. But with the exception of CR7, pretty much the entire team disappointed.
With Ronaldo’s arrival, along with the appointment of Ralf Rangnick halfway through the season, Rashford made considerably fewer appearances.
In total, he played 32 times in all competitions and 14 of these were off the bench. To go from being a guaranteed starter to then being a player on the fringes must have damaged Rashford’s already shaky confidence even further, and his performances showed it.
Every single one of Rashford’s stats got worse, with no exceptions:
His pass success rate decreased from 82.1% to 76.1%. His key passes per game went down to just 0.4 per match. Rashford’s ability on the ball was nowhere near as effective, decreasing to 0.9 successful dribbles per game. His shooting was more erratic too, with only 0.9 shots on target per 90.
This all ultimately amounted to Rashford scoring just five goals and making two assists, in a season where United finished in an embarrassing sixth place, their worst league performance since 2019.
Without Ronaldo’s goals, mathematically the Red Devils would have finished 13th, but you could argue that his arrival damaged the morale and balance of the rest of the team and this was arguably a big reason for their astronomical drop in form.
It was by far Marcus Rashford’s worst campaign since becoming a regular starter, but as mentioned, he wasn’t alone.
So, looking at his last three seasons, is Rashford worth keeping?
It depends – is he going to be playing every week? Will he be allowed to play in a centre-forward role where statistically he makes more goal contributions? Is Ronaldo going to stay? These are all factors both Rashford and Erik Ten Hag need to consider.
We all know that there is a great player in there somewhere as he’s shown it in the past, but the environment in the United team and his attitude need to be spot on for him to thrive and finally reach his sky-high potential. Don’t forget… he is still just 24.
Played: 32
Pass success: 76.1%
Key passes per 90: 0.4
Dribbles per 90: 0.9
Shots per 90: 0.9
Assists: 2
Goals: 5
Goal contributions per game: 0.22
