Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick has told Marcus Rashford that he must maintain his prolific form if he wants to be viewed as one of the Premier League’s elite forwards.
Not a regular starter under Rangnick, Rashford has come off the bench to score in United’s last two matches, bagging the winner in this weekend’s 1-0 victory over West Ham United to take his tally to four for the season.
After the match, Rangnick reminded Rashford that there is a lot of competition for minutes in his favourite positions and told the England international what he must to if he wants to guarantee playing time.
“We have a lot of wingers, we have a lot of outstanding players in that position,” Rangnick explained. “Jadon [Sancho] was not available today but we have a lot of players for those two positions and Marcus is one of them.
“Right now, yes, he has scored twice in consecutive games when he came from the bench but, of course, his ambition is to play regularly from the start again.
“It is up to him. If he continually plays on a high level and keeps scoring goals, of course this is the best way to get back into the team and play from the beginning.”
Rashford has been behind Anthony Elanga and Mason Greenwood in the pecking order in recent weeks, but Rangnick was confident that the 24-year-old can force his way ahead of them and start regularly for United again.
He continued: “He is one of the top strikers in England. He is an English international who regularly played in the Euros.
“We all know what kind of quality he has. He has got almost everything that a modern striker needs. He has got the pace, the skills, he has got the size, the physicality of the striker and in the end it is all about confidence for strikers.
“I am pretty sure that those two goals have raised the level of confidence within Marcus. Now it is about taking the next steps and showing that on a regular basis.
“It is about continuity now. I think he can play a very important role for the rest of the season for us.”