Ruud van Nistelrooy couldn't hide Marcus Rashford thoughts in Southampton win (original) (raw)
Marcus Rashford's inconsistent displays last season saw him miss out on the England squad at Euro 2024 this summer - but he shrugged off his difficult start to this campaign by ending a lengthy goal drought
Marcus Rashford scored his first goal since March in Man United's 3-0 win at Southampton
Man United coach Ruud van Nistelrooy could not contain his joy after watching Marcus Rashford score his first goal since March in their 3-0 win at Southampton.
Rashford has had a tough year and only managed to net eight times in all competitions last season, despite scoring 30 in the previous 2022-23 campaign.
His inconsistent displays saw him miss out on Gareth Southgate's England squad at Euro 2024 this summer - before struggling to impress in the first three games of the season under Erik ten Hag.
But fans were treated to a revitalised Rashford on Saturday after the 26-year-old netted the second of the game at St Mary's to end his sixth-month drought as he rifled into the corner from just outside the box.
Rashford looked overjoyed and relieved as he let out a scream before being mobbed by his team-mates - and club legend Van Nistelrooy looked equally delighted for the player as he lifted his arms in the air.
The legendary former United forward has been working with Rashford as one of Ten Hag's assistant coaches and looked thrilled to see the player's hard work in training pay off.
Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 times from 219 outings at Old Trafford, applauded Rashford as he cheered the vital goal that gave United a two-goal cushion, following Matthijs de Ligt's opener.
Man United coach Ruud van Nistelrooy could not hide his joy after watching Rashford end his goal drought
Alejandro Garnacho then added a third in stoppage time after Jack Stephens was shown a red card.
It was a crucial victory for Ten Hag's side, who had come under fire after back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Liverpool before the international break.
Van Nistelrooy rejoined United as Ten Hag's assistant in July and he is already being talked about as a future United boss. Iconic former player Cristiano Ronaldo raved about the Dutchman last week and said Ten Hag should listen to him to get the best out of the team.
"If Ten Hag listens to Ruud, maybe he can help the club," he said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. "I think he can help a lot. And the club should listen to the players who played there.
"You [Rio Ferdinand] or Roy Keane or Paul Scholes or Gary Neville, whoever it is. Sir Alex Ferguson. You can't rebuild a club you don't understand."
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