Recent from having been narrowly defeated by Nottingham Forest earlier this week, Manchester United at the moment are gearing up for Sunday’s Manchester Derby – just below 5 months on from clinching victory in dramatic circumstances on the Etihad.
Having been trailing 1-0 heading into the ultimate knockings of the sport, an Amad Diallo-inspired comeback flipped the match on its head, with the Ivorian first successful a penalty following a careless foul from Matheus Nunes, earlier than sealing the win in stoppage time with an expertly taken end from the angle.
That euphoric finale ensured it was a becoming method for Ruben Amorim to seal his first win within the fixture, albeit – as is usually the best way at United – it was issues off the sector that dominated the headlines each pre and post-match.
Certainly, the Portuguese coach had taken the daring choice to go away each Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford out of the matchday squad for the assembly with Pep Guardiola’s aspect, with the 40-year-old stressing that the pair had been omitted on account of a “choice” selection, somewhat than on account of sickness or damage.
Within the case of Garnacho, the 20-year-old has since pressured his method again into Amorim’s good books, having notably scored within the current win over Leicester Metropolis, though as for Rashford, the England worldwide hasn’t been seen in a United shirt since, having subsequently moved on mortgage to Aston Villa in February.
From scoring the successful aim within the derby again in March 2016, the identical fixture on the Etihad maybe marked the start of the top for the 27-year-old’s time with the Crimson Devils, with a everlasting exit trying nearly inevitable this summer season.
Marcus Rashford’s rise at Man Utd in 2016
Three objectives in per week have ensured that Rashford is once more the speak of the city at Villa Park, with the United academy graduate having shaken off his Amorim-led exile to kickstart his stuttering profession below Unai Emery.
Having spoken of his need for a “new problem” again in December, the high-profile star – who may be part of the Villans on a £40m deal this summer season – seems eager to go away life at Outdated Trafford behind, ending his prolonged affiliation with the Crimson Devils.
In reality, it seems set to be a tragic finish to a narrative that began so spectacularly again in February 2016, with Rashford hovering from unknown teenager to family identify in a single day, following his brace in opposition to FC Midtjylland within the Europa League.
That beautiful show on debut – which had come amid a exceptional damage disaster in Louis van Gaal’s centre-forward ranks – was adopted by one other double only a few days afterward his first Premier League look in opposition to Arsenal, with the 18-year-old cementing his standing as the brand new poster boy on the Theatre of Goals.
In all, the promising striker would finish that 2015/16 marketing campaign with eight objectives to his identify from simply 18 senior outings, albeit with few having been fairly as memorable as his winner in opposition to Metropolis on the street.
On what was simply his fourth league look for United, Rashford proved the hero after surging previous the ageing Martin Demichelis, earlier than expertly slotting the ball previous compatriot, Joe Hart, and sending the travelling followers right into a frenzy.
Just below a decade on, the Crimson Devils head right into a derby with out their 138-goal graduate – who has scored six instances in opposition to Metropolis – to name upon. Might Amorim, nevertheless, have the subsequent Rashford able to be unleashed as a substitute?
Man Utd might be brewing the subsequent Rashford
It’s straightforward to neglect simply what an unimaginable story it was on the time of Rashford’s emergence onto the scene at first-team degree, with the native hero even occurring to finish 2015/16 as a part of England’s squad for the European Championships in France.
That journey was considerably mirrored final season as Kobbie Mainoo – who was handed his first league begin in November 2023 – subsequently performed a significant function within the Three Lions’ surge to the Euro 2024 ultimate, having additionally netted what proved to be the clincher within the FA Cup showpiece in Could.
The midfield maestro is unlikely to function this weekend, nevertheless, because the 19-year-old steps up his return from his newest damage setback, albeit with there the potential for an additional teenage expertise to make his mark within the fixture, within the type of Chido Obi.
FA Youth Cup high scorers – 24/25 | ||
|---|---|---|
Participant | Membership | Objectives |
Chido Obi | Man Utd | 7 |
Tom Wingate | Fulham | 5 |
Amin Nabizada | Watford | 5 |
Mason Cotcher | Aston Villa | 5 |
Shim Mhueka | Chelsa | 4 |
Finlay Gorman | Man Metropolis | 4 |
Emmerson Sutton | QPR | 4 |
Cruz Allen | Derby | 4 |
Matty Warhurst | Man Metropolis | 4 |
Stats through Transfermarkt | ||
On Tuesday night on the Metropolis Floor, Amorim’s males failed to attain for the eleventh time within the league this season, with the ex-Sporting CP boss resorting to throwing on Harry Maguire as a makeshift striker on the dying.
With Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund having scored simply six top-flight objectives between them in 2024/25, a change must be made a technique or one other, with it maybe a possibility for Obi to have his personal Rashford-like derby second.
Described as a “aim machine” at academy degree by information analyst Ben Mattinson, the Danish starlet was absent from the midweek defeat after beginning within the U18s FA Youth Cup loss to Villa on Monday night time, with Adam Lawrence’s aspect crashing out on penalties.
Obi had scored seven instances in simply three appearances within the competitors previous to that, together with his whole tally at that age group for United standing at 12 objectives from simply ten outings so far.
Signed from Arsenal final summer season, the 17-year-old hasn’t fairly emulated Rashford but after failing to attain in any of his 4 substitute appearances at senior degree, albeit whereas actually coming shut within the FA Cup conflict with Fulham, after being denied by Bernd Leno from the angle.
With United’s precedence for the rest of the season now the Europa League, Amorim might deem it clever to relaxation the likes of Hojlund and Zirkzee regardless, forward of Thursday’s quarter-final, first-leg tie with Lyon.
In The Pipeline
Soccer FanCast’s Within the Pipeline collection goals to uncover the easiest youth gamers in world soccer.
That would then permit Obi – who’s ineligible to function in Europe – the prospect to safe a primary begin for Amorim’s aspect this weekend, with there maybe no higher time for the teenager to get off the mark.
Rashford, sadly, now seems to be on the finish of a fruitful journey at Outdated Trafford. For his potential successor, nevertheless, hopefully, the journey is simply starting.
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