RANKING: Marcus Rashford's 10 seasons with Man Utd

Analysis

After a dramatic 10 seasons, Marcus Rashford has left Manchester United.

The 27 year-old striker has signed on loan for FC Barcelona, leaving his boyhood club Man Utd and embarking on a new phase in his life. Of course the loan doesn't have a mandatory purchase clause, so there's a chance Rashford could end up back in Manchester in a year.

But that doesn't seem likely. This definitely feels like a player making a clean break from his past, saying: "This move is my next step, my next chapter," during his first interview as a Barcelona player, adding: "I don’t want to dwell on the past. I just wish Manchester United all the best and hope they find success in the future."

So Rashford has moved on, but his critics haven't, with plenty of talk about how he doesn't "deserve" the move because of how poor he's been lately, although many forget his tremendous campaigns at Man Utd, bringing the club so much joy.

With ten seasons in English football – nine and a half for Man Utd and one six-month cameo for Aston Villa – FootballTransfers ranks the best campaigns from Rashford at Old Trafford.

Current ETV

Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Man Utd

Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Man Utd

€52.2M

ETV Range

€47M - €57.5M

View full profile

10. 2024/25

In the end is the beginning.

Rashford's worst season has to be his last because it's the season where Man Utd actually pushed him out of the club. Actively driving him away even as he had scored three goals in the first two games under Ruben Amorim. Still, Man Utd stood by their manager and pushed him out.

Sure, he was alright at Aston Villa, and that display second-leg against Paris Saint-Germain was sensational, but it's not enough to escape the sensations of something magical ending.

9. 2021/22

After several seasons of ever-improving football and reaching the cusp of world-class as the leading forward in a vibrant Man Utd side who were a menace on the counter-attack with their quick forwards... Rashford was completely undone by the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Here was a guy in his late 30's who couldn't play on the break, meaning Man Utd had to figure out how to play to compliment him, while lacking most of the players to do that! Throw in a shoulder injury that marred the start of his season and you have a truly miserable campaign with just five goals in all competitions.

STATS

Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Man Utd

Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Man Utd

All Tournaments

2021/22

• 32

  Games

• 5

  Goals

• 2

  Assists

View all stats

8. 2023/24

As much as 2024/25 was the definitive end, it felt like it was coming all through the previous season in 2023/24. It was a disappointing season overall with Rashford struggling under Erik ten Hag's dismal managerial style, scoring just eight times and, for many United fans, confirmed that the 21/22 was not a fluke season and this was his "real" level.

The only reason it doesn't place dead last is because of the tremendous FA Cup run where Rashford scored in an iconic win over Liverpool and played a key pass in the lead-up to one of their goals in a sublime upset win over Man City in the final. Iconic moments that will live forever.

7. 2017/18

While Rashford didn't get to play at his most expansive under Jose Mourinho, his second season under the Portuguese coach saw him cement his rising star status. He was a dynamic threat whose end product didn't always match his dribbling (because Mourinho had him working so hard defensively) some of his displays were great, in particularly torturing Trent Alexander-Arnold to destroy Liverpool with a brace at Old Trafford.

6. 2018/19

We're now into firmly what can be established as "good seasons" with 2018/19. Mourinho got sacked and Rashford's form went supernova. 6 goals and 2 assists in the first eight league games after Mourinho was booted out, Rashford shone under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's caretaker spell. His performance away to PSG in the Champions League round of 16, including a last minute penalty to win it, was instantly historic and he was just unlucky to run into Leo Messi's Barcelona in the next round.

5. 2016/17

Winning trophies has always been one of the biggest and most important things you can do as a Man Utd player and in 2016/17, Rashford managed to get his hands on three; the EFL Cup, Community Shield and the Europa League. The winger scored and assisted United's two goals in their extra time win over Anderlecht in the Europa League quarter-final, then scored away and assisted at home to drive United beyond Celta in the semi-final too. He was becoming so clutch.

4. 2019/20

While the previous seasons had given a hint of it, the 2019/20 season is where Rashford really exploded. Despite missing two months with a back injury, Rashford bagged a then-career-high 22 goals in all competitions, including 17 in the Premier League. One of those goals was against Liverpool and gave United a draw, making them the only side to take any point off the Reds as they opened the season with an astonishing 27 wins from 28. He also scored in big wins over Man City and Spurs.

3. 2015/16

Sometimes we can never do better than the first time. Marcus Rashford exploded onto the scene in 2015/16 like something out of a comic book. His level of fairytale just wasn't supposed to happen in real life and yet here he was, an academy striker thrust into a European starting XI because of injury. And then he scores. Twice.

So he keeps his place against Arsenal in the Premier League a few days later. He scores again. Twice. He even bags the only goal in big wins over Aston Villa and local rivals Man City. The quality of Rashford's goal against City, the way he ripped Martin Demichelis, is off the scale. Rashford even played 73 minutes into the FA Cup final that Man Utd won, ending his debut season with silverware.

A truly iconic debut.

2. 2020/21

This season looked like Marcus Rashford reaching a truly sensational level of football. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's system was rolling, Rashford finally had a consistent partner on his level in Bruno Fernandes (injuries had begun to devastate Paul Pogba) and the results were great. 22 goals across all competitions, guiding Man Utd to a second place finish and a spot in the Europa League final where, had Harry Maguire not gotten injured or if David de Gea could save a penalty, United would have won another Europa!

STATS

Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Man Utd

Marcus Rashford

M, AM (L), F (C)

Man Utd

All Tournaments

2020/21

• 59

  Games

• 22

  Goals

• 13

  Assists

View all stats

1. 2022/23

After Cristiano Ronaldo killed his vibe the previous season, people assumed Rashford was done. He scored twice in a win over Arsenal but otherwise, with Ronaldo around, he was clearly struggling to stamp his authority on games. Then United released Ronaldo just before the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and when all the players returned from that competition Marcus Rashford woke up.

A blistering run of 16 goals in the first 17 games back after the World Cup saw Rashford drag United by the scruff of their neck into contention, including through the early rounds of the FA Cup and all the way to the EFL Cup final where he scored in a 2-0 win over Newcastle.

United eventually reached the FA Cup final too only to lose to Man City, but Rashford ended the season with 30 goals and Man Utd in 3rd place, good for a spot in the Champions League. All this despite Erik ten Hag being clearly out of his depth as a coach and United racking up some pretty embarrassing defeats.

Yet and still it was an individual triumph for Rashford and showed exactly the kind of individual brilliance he is capable of. The kind of brilliance Barcelona will want him to bring to the Camp Nou to perfectly compliment Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.

If Hansi Flick can bring 22/23 Marcus Rashford back? Or even improve on him? In a years time Joan Laporta and co. will be able to say that 2025/26 will be Marcus Rashford's greatest season and Barcelona will be able to sign a world-class wing-forward for just €30 million.

All that's left is to make it happen.

Over to you, Marcus...

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