The England international briefly silenced the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, but couldn't go on and complete his redemption arc.
"If you back me, good. If you doubt me, even better." Marcus Rashford could scarcely have backed up his strong words in The Players' Tribune better as Manchester United stunned their arch-rivals City in the eighth minute of Sunday's derby encounter thanks to an unstoppable 25-yard strike from the England forward that cannoned into Ederson's net off the crossbar, sparking euphoria in the away end at the Etihad Stadium.
It was one of the best goals of Rashford's entire career, and he celebrated by pointing to his temple in what has become his trademark move, indicating that he considers his mental strength to be his most powerful tool, rather than his right foot. But one moment of brilliance is not proof of psychological maturity, and it's certainly not enough to make up for what has been a hugely disappointing 2023-24 campaign for a player who already seems to have peaked at the age of 26.
City came back to earn a fully-deserved 3-1 victory while Rashford was substituted 15 minutes from time after fizzling out in pathetic fashion. His list of doubters is longer than ever now, and if this is all he has to offer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS would be wise to get his £350,000-per-week wages off United's books in the summer.
Some 10 minutes after opening the scoring at the Etihad, Rashford had a fantastic chance to break through on goal after being played in by Bruno Fernandes, but his heavy first touch allowed Kyle Walker to race back and cut out the danger. Moments later, Fernandes teed Rashford up again, this time with a deep cross, only for the England international to completely mistime his volley and fall to the turf.
Rashford was then seen signalling to the bench in discomfort, and although he felt well enough to continue, his threat was almost non-existent thereafter. He was barely able to stay on his feet in the second half, and once again came out second-best in a foot race with Walker before Foden went up the other end to score City's equaliser - as the referee ignored his calls for what would have been a very soft foul.
When Erik ten Hag finally decided to put Rashford out of his misery, United were hanging on for dear life, but the fact he was replaced by Brazilian flop Antony, arguably the club's worst signing of the last decade, summed up the abject nature of the former academy hero's performance.
Ten Hag confirmed that Rashford wasn't at "100 percent" after the game, before insisting he "gave everything" to the collective cause, but former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock offered a far more accurate assessment in the Sky Sports News studio. “He looked disinterested again," said Warnock. "It was almost like he’s scored his goal and that was the point he was like ‘I’ve done my bit now’. The tracking back, the working hard, the being strong in possession [wasn’t there].”
Reporting By: Ajayi Oluwaseun Michael.
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