Marcus Rashford makes strong case for a guaranteed start in electric display despite draw vs. FC Twente

Manchester United were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by FC Twente in their opening match of the 2024/25 Europa League campaign.

Christian Eriksen broke the deadlock 10 minutes before the interval as he produced a sensational finish from inside the box.

United were largely comfortable and cruising until Eriksen made a costly mistake that directly led to Sam Lammers restoring parity in the 68th minute.

Erik ten Hag’s men had five shots on target from their total 19 cracks at goal. FC Twente on the other hand managed seven shots, with three of these requiring Andre Onana to intervene.

The Red Devils commanded a 57% share of the ball. In comparison, the Eredivisie outfit had 43% possession. United put together 541 passes with a pass accuracy of 85%. Twente strung 406 passes with a completion rate of 86%.

There were few standout performers for United, with one of them being Marcus Rashford.

Rashford was left out of his side’s starting XI to face Crystal Palace last weekend as Ten Hag opted for Alejandro Garnacho instead.

However, against Twente, Rashford produced an electric performance that will certainly leave Ten Hag thinking twice about dropping him again.

During the 79 minutes he was on the Old Trafford pitch, Rashford registered 49 touches of the ball.

He successfully found his teammates with 25 of the 33 passes he attempted, managing an individual pass accuracy of 76%. Two of his passes were key passes.

The England international tried to connect with two crosses and three long balls. He found his intended target with none of his crosses and just one long ball that he pinged.

The forward saw two of his shots at Lars Unnerstall blocked.

Rashford embarked on four dribbles, completing all four of them. He was brilliant defensively. The 26-year-old won five of the six ground duels he delved into and also came out on top in the one aerial challenge he contested.

The Carrington academy graduate made two clearances and half as many interceptions.

He also put in one tackle.

(Stats obtained from Sofascore)

United’s next assignment is against Tottenham Hotspur and there are unlikely to be many complaints if Rashford starts on that occasion.

Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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