Louis Saha spells out what Marcus Rashford must do to become "unstoppable"

25 October 2023 , 09:45

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Louis Saha spells out what Marcus Rashford must do to become "unstoppable"

Louis Saha believes Marcus Rashford is "overthinking" - with the Manchester United forward firing another blank on Tuesday.

Rashford, 25, scored 30 goals for United last season - his most prolific campaign to date. Yet the Englishman is struggling for goals this time around, scoring just once in 12 games. He failed to hit the net in United's 1-0 Champions League win against Copenhagen.

Erik ten Hag is confident Rashford will regain his former sooner rather than later with United struggling to pick up wins. The team are eighth in the Premier League - eight points off the top - and needed a last-minute penalty save from Andre Onana to win on Tuesday.

Saha is confident Rashford will become "unstoppable" again if he simplifies his game. His next chance to score is on Sunday when United take on rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford. A goal against Pep Guardiola's champions would do him the world of good.

"In Marcus Rashford, I see a player with tremendous quality - there’s no doubt about that," Saha told Paddy Power. "The only thing that’s holding him back is overthinking. He has a tendency to think too much and that’s the problem he has at the moment. It sounds very simplistic but it’s not. He’s got great energy levels, he’s very physical and the volume of his runs are his main strengths.

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"He’s not helped by Manchester United's slow tempo. Players take too many touches, and it takes too long to get the ball out wide to Rashford’s feet. Half a second is a massive amount in a game, and it provides the defender with too much time to close him down, forcing him to play it backwards.

Erik ten Hag is confident Rashford can regain his form (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Do you agree with Louis Saha? Let us know in the comments below!

‌"We want to see Rashford committing and not worry about making mistakes. He needs to attack, try and cross the ball, shoot at goal and be happy if he wins a corner. It’s very simplistic but that’s the reality for Rashford right now.

"He needs to simplify his game and put all his energy into the things that work. I’m confident he’ll get back to it because when he does, he’s unstoppable."

Ten Hag was asked for his thoughts on Rashford's form earlier this month. The United boss said: "Everyone knows the qualities of him... if Rashy is doing the things right and the team is doing the things right, we will put him in the right places and then it is up to him."

Ten Hag added: "Now he is struggling, but this will pass... Everyone at United supports him and the whole team is supportive to him, believes in him. So I am sure, with that confidence and belief, that the team is behind him. This will change and it will pass."

Tom Blow