Marcus Rashford has scored 10 goals in his last 10 appearances for Manchester United and his run of form has prompted Roy Keane to change his mind on the striker
Roy Keane has heaped praise on Marcus Rashford’s run of form at Manchester United – and has seemingly changed his mind on his mindset.
Keane did not hold back in his criticism of the striker last season, criticising Rashford for smiling too much following a late-season draw against Chelsea last April and then claiming that he plays like a child the following game as the England international lost his place in the team.
Rashford’s form last season nosedived, netting just five goals across all competitions – having netted 43 times across the previous two campaigns. Now aged 25, Rashford is in the form of his life with 18 goals in 29 appearances – including 10 in his last 10, after netting in Wednesday’s three-goal EFL Cup semi-final win at Nottingham Forest.
However, when things were tough for the striker last season amid a wider malaise at Old Trafford, Keane did not hold back from his criticism. The former United captain claimed Rashford’s body language and mindset were not up to scratch for performing at the top level.
“I want to see a bit more courage from him,” Keane said last April of Rashford. “We have not seen that enough from him this season, he has not been consistent, not worked hard enough, not been brave in taking people on.
“He is now 24 years old, he has got to show more maturity and be more consistent, that is key for any player at a big club. I am really frustrated with him. Every time I see Marcus warming up, he is smiling.
Rashford scored a stunning solo goal to continue his incredible run since the end of the World Cup
“I don’t like it when you are smiling too much. Yes, smile when you do something, but we always said when he burst on the scene, he affects games, but he doesn’t do that anymore. He does very little. his performance last week was very immature, he almost played like a child.”
After netting in the win over Forest on Wednesday night with a superb solo opening goal, Keane was full of praise: “He [Rashford] is in the shape of his life, he does what he wants. Marcus seems to enjoy the responsibility, which is nice to see. If Marcus is up against you, good luck to you. It’s a machine.”
United boss Erik ten Hag also raved about Rashford’s form, hailing him as ‘unstoppable’ after another superb performance. The Dutchman said after the game: “It was a great opening goal. I have seen some good moments and dynamics now. I am happy with Marcus and his performance and development. He is growing.
“He is responsible for that and needs to keep that process going. He is unstoppable if we get him in the right positions. You need to be creative in the final third and do some crazy stuff. In this mood and with this spirit, he is unstoppable.”
Source: mirror
