Man Utd 3 Real Betis 2: Marcus Rashford looks back to his best before he is forced off in huge injury scare
PERHAPS Manchester United are going to get the real Marcus Rashford back again.
The evidence of this pre-season game against Real Betis suggests they are.
They have just got to hope that the challenge which saw him limp off in the 61st minute of this game is nothing serious.
He looked in a pain, stopping twice as he made his way to the tunnel. A sad end to a great night for him.
Rashford was buzzing, looking like he was enjoying the ball at his feet once more.
The 26-year-old even spoke with manager Erik ten Hag during the game.
Those two barely exchanged a word in the second half of last season.
That came after the player had partied until the early hours of the morning in Belfast on a day when he was supposed to be training ahead of the FA Cup game at Newport last January.
He phoned in sick, Ten Hag later found out the background and was fuming.
Had Ten Hag not been short of numbers, Rashford could have even ended up sidelined for a considerable period.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
As it was, his form did not demand a consistent first-team place as the season progressed. He would fall out the England squad for the Euros as well.
Having posted career best figures of 30 goals the season before, he would grab only eight in the last campaign.
On nights like this in San Diego you wonder quite why he lost his way so badly last season.
His focus certainly seemed to go away from football.
The sight of him in tears in front of the United fans after a good display in that triumphant FA Cup Final did show, however, how much this club still means to him.
He has medals from his time with the club – two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League – but when he spoke this week it was clear he has eyes on bigger prizes.
Rashford said: “I still have dreams of winning the big trophies, the Premier League and Champions League with Man United. So hopefully we can get that done.”
For now it is just about getting further up the Premier League after finishing a club record low of eighth last season.
Back to goalscoring ways
They will need Rashford’s goals to do that particularly with Rasmus Hojlund missing the first four games with a hamstring injury.
The arrival of Joshua Zirkzee will help but United need the goals coming the whole front four.
They were in good form in front of goal in this game.
After Iker Losada had given Betis a 15th-minute lead at the Snapdragon Stadium, it was Rashford who equalised from the spot just two minutes later.
Amad Diallo had won it and what a performance the 22-year-old put in as well.
A constant threat, he scored a cracker to put United ahead in the 25th minute using superb control to take the cross from Harry Amass before curling the ball home.
It was three on 31 minutes. Amad appeared to over hit a corner but Rashford was beyond the far post to feed the ball back across goal for Casemiro to turn in.
Betis would get a goal back on 61 minutes from Diego Llorente’s header.
Now the anxious wait for news on Rashford…
