Manchester United must avoid the mistake of playing Marcus Rashford as a centre-forward this season, with the forward's future at the club now seemingly secure. After a fallout with Ruben Amorim and loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, Rashford has returned to the United camp following his post-World Cup break. He was all smiles in Dublin before playing 30 minutes against Amorim's AC Milan on Saturday.
Rashford's Return and Best Position
Currently, Rashford will not be leaving Old Trafford, and while that could still change, with each passing day it feels more and more likely he will stay. That's why United must now be thinking about how best to use him this season. Naturally, Rashford is a left winger, and there could be opportunities for him on that flank. Patrick Dorgu has been moved to that position this summer but is still learning the ropes, while Matheus Cunha has also featured off the left, but that was mostly out of necessity.
Michael Carrick could be tempted to try Rashford in another position. However, it is vital that he resists the urge to play him as a centre-forward. When Rashford first joined Barcelona, Hansi Flick told reporters: "He can play at No.9 or No.11. We changed it because we had to be careful with Ferran [Torres]. We wanted to see how he adapted to the position."
Barcelona's Experiment and Its Lessons
Flick made the admission after Rashford scored in the centre-forward role during a 5-0 pre-season victory over Daegu. Despite this, Rashford would only go on to play as the lone striker in three La Liga matches for Barca. His first appearance in that role came on the opening day against Mallorca. He would not feature there again until April.
In fact, there was a period when Robert Lewandowski was injured and Torres wasn't firing, that Rashford was being considered for the centre-forward role but instead, Dani Olmo played as a false nine. That said it all about Flick's feelings on that solution.
United's Striker Options and the Way Forward
There may come a time when Carrick is feeling equally curious about the prospect of playing Rashford up front. Talk surrounding the arrival of a new centre-forward has calmed in recent weeks as focus turns to a midfielder and a left-back. Benjamin Sesko has missed the entirety of pre-season as he recuperates from an injury sustained against Liverpool at the beginning of May. Sesko did train at Carrington on Tuesday, but his lack of minutes this summer means it might not be until early September that he can start consistently at centre-forward.
In his absence, Joshua Zirkzee, Bryan Mbeumo and Zirkzee have all been trialled up front. Mbeumo has been the pick of the bunch, scoring three goals, and should start against Hull on Saturday. If, for whatever reason, United need to look for another option to lead the line, they must take that search beyond Rashford.
This season is going to be a pivotal one for the academy graduate. If he is to reintegrate into the squad, he needs to be used in his best position. That is on the left wing. Carrick will not be helping Rashford playing him as a centre-forward. United have tried this strategy before and it has not worked. If this truly is a fresh start for Rashford at United, the Reds have to start things off on the right foot and give him the best chance to succeed. Only by playing him on the wing will United do just that.
