Marcus Rashford is showing flashes of his best form for Manchester United after returning from loan, with his dribbling and creativity standing out in the early season. The 28-year-old forward made his 427th appearance for the club in Sunday's match against Everton, a game that highlighted his direct threat even without a goal or assist.
Rashford completed six dribbles across his first three appearances this season. That figure puts him behind only five other Premier League players, including Tottenham's Mathys Tel (10) and a group of four players with seven each: Omar Marmoush, Julio Enciso, Abdul Fatawu, and Tyrique George. His return comes after a season-long loan at Barcelona and a previous spell at Aston Villa, making his reintegration a key subplot for a United side currently 11th in the Premier League with four points from three games.
How has Rashford performed since returning?
Rashford came on at half-time in the season opener at Hull City and has been a regular starter since. While he hasn't yet registered a goal or an assist, his underlying contributions are significant. He has created eight chances in three games, a number matched only by club captain Bruno Fernandes. Only three Premier League players have created more: Morgan Rogers of Chelsea and Rayan Cherki of Manchester City with 10 each, and James McAtee of Nottingham Forest with nine. This creative output is a positive sign for a team that has scored seven goals but conceded six, leaving them with a +1 goal difference and five points behind leaders Manchester City.
His 427th appearance came 20 months after his 426th, a gap that shows his time away from Old Trafford. The club's current standings position adds urgency to finding consistent attacking form, especially with a important fixtures list ahead.
What did his performance against Everton show?
The Everton match provided clear examples of Rashford's threat. In the 21st minute, he controlled a floated pass from Bryan Mbeumo with the outside of his right boot, dribbled past Merlin Rohl, and placed a cutback into a dangerous area. Diogo Dalot missed the initial shot and Matheus Cunha arrived from deep to shoot over. Rashford repeated a similar move on Vitalii Mykolenko in the 36th minute, sizing up the Everton defender who was filling in at right-back.
Later, he made a well-weighted pass down the line to Matheus Cunha with the outside of his boot, a pass that forced Brennan Johnson into a foul on the Brazilian just outside the penalty area. From the resulting free-kick, Everton were forced into a reshuffled back four. These moments demonstrated the winger's ability to unbalance defences, a trait United will need as they prepare to host league leaders Manchester City on September 13.
Where does this form fit in his recent career?
Rashford's current performances are being measured against his peak output. He scored 30 goals across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, a high watermark. The following campaign included memorable goals, like a sharp finish away to Manchester City in March 2024 and another in an FA Cup win against Liverpool a couple of weeks later. He also passed to Alejandro Garnacho in the build-up to Kobbie Mainoo's winning goal in the all-Manchester FA Cup final that year.
His journey since has been unconventional, with loans to Aston Villa and Barcelona preceding this comeback. Now, his task is to translate promising dribbles and chances into decisive contributions for a squad currently without several key players, including the sidelined Tom Heaton, Amad Diallo, Manuel Ugarte, and Rashford himself, as listed on the club's injuries page. The next test comes quickly against the champions at Old Trafford.
