Marcus Rashford's shocking stats against Brighton

Karan Tejwani

• 8 Aug 2022 02:13 CDT
• 3 min read

Manchester United began their season with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at home as Erik ten Hag’s tenure got off to a difficult start.

One of the major talking points was the lack of sharpness in the attack, and the form of many of their forwards, including one Marcus Rashford, who has struggled to show his best for a few months.

There were encouraging signs in pre-season as Rashford paired well with Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial, but that wasn’t replicated on the Premier League’s opening day.

Neither player was helped by Martial’s injury as well, as the Frenchman missed the opening game after picking up a problem just days before the clash against Brighton.

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Man Utd need attacking reinforcements

Rashford played much of the game, and failed to do anything of note, neither scoring nor assisting, and away from goal contributions, his impact on the game was minimal.

He failed to complete a dribble or cross, despite starting the game on the left wing, nor did he contribute to the defensive side of his team’s performance, in a disappointing display overall.

Rashford also lost possession 10 times throughout the game, which was another worrying part of his game as he struggled to show his qualities in Ten Hag’s first game.

The display was another problem for the new boss and adds to his attacking worries, where United are seriously short of depth and quality.

Sancho wasn’t able to get the ground running last season amidst Manchester United’s instability, while Martial’s inconsistency and fitness issues are tough to rely upon.

Cristiano Ronaldo is eager to leave as well, and made that clear earlier in the transfer window, with a stay for the rest of the season looking uncertain.

Other than them, there aren’t many other senior options, with Anthony Elanga the only remaining option and 18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho only just being gelled into the first-team.

Amad Diallo is there, having spent the second half of last season on loan at Rangers, but he too is young and has rarely played for the club’s senior team.

United have a little over three weeks in the transfer window to resolve this issue, and will need to bring a few more faces in if they are to compete with the league’s top clubs.