On Sunday, in the Red Devils’ 3-0 Premier League victory over Leicester City, Rashford played a prominent role. The 25-year-old Englishman scored twice, once on either side of half time, following up on his goal and crucial involvement in United’s second against Barcelona in the midweek fixture.
This takes Rashford’s tally for the season to an impressive 24 goals, equalling Ronaldo’s goal record from last season, which made him United’s top scorer.
Rashford’s remarkable performances under Erik ten Hag have led some supporters to suggest that his former teammate Ronaldo, who had his contract terminated in November after a disagreement with club executives, had held him back in the past.
One Twitter user commented: “It’s amusing that Man United sacked Ronaldo and Rashford started to shine.”
Another United fan tweeted: “So Ronaldo was really holding Rashford back. Just as he did to [Paulo] Dybala and [Karim] Benzema,” while a third added: “Special thanks to Ronaldo for removing himself from our club. Legend.”
Rashford is currently enjoying his most productive season to date. In the 2019/20 season, he scored 22 goals in 44 matches across all competitions, which was his previous best performance.
As United trail league leaders Arsenal by five points and rivals Manchester City by three, the forward has no plans to slow down his impressive form.
In his post-match interview, Rashford stated: “It’s obviously a nice feeling to be scoring goals and ultimately winning games. I don’t feel like slowing down; I’m just trying to improve.”
»Man U fans thank Cristiano Ronaldo for leaving, allowing Marcus Rashford’s rise«