Marcus Rashford extends Manchester United stay: not even securing England’s brightest talent can raise spirits at Old Trafford

So negative is the mood around Old Trafford that a wave of pessimism greets almost every announcement. Manchester United fans have a real downer on the players they feel let them down last season as the team finished sixth. The stock of every single United player dropped, even the home-grown, United-supporting Mancunians like Marcus Rashford.

The 21-year-old striker agreed a contract extension and pay rise on Monday, but plenty of fans were ready to doubt the heavily incentivised deal which runs to 2023, with an option of another year, worth around £200,000 (US$252,000, HK$1.97 million) a week basic.

Rashford is a centre-forward who can’t be described as prolific, his 13 goals last season put him 24th in the Premier League scorers’ chart. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored 44 for United in the 2002-03 season. Rashford’s got 45 in 170 appearances since making his debut in February 2016.

In a heated dressing room encounter in front of the other players last season, Ander Herrera strongly took issue with Rashford and his attitude. Such confrontations are entirely normal and most never make it out of the dressing room, but Rashford wasn’t impressing the players around him. Who was, as United won two in 12?

As they slumped, Rashford talked about his teammates getting back on track by doing what they’d done when Solskjaer first arrived, but it was little more than talk. The worry among some inside the club was that Rashford stopped doing what he did best and running behind opposing defenders.

United and Rashford were abject in March, April and May, yet the club have done the right thing in extending his contract. Fans might scoff at Barcelona’s interest as reported in this column in April, but it’s genuine. They knew Luis Suarez’s time at the club is coming to a close and they’d take him in a heartbeat since they feel he can play across the front three and has time to improve, but the Catalans know United wouldn’t consider selling him. Could you have blamed the Mancunian for moving and playing for a team which wins leagues rather than a perennially misfiring United?

United value talented young players and Rashford has produced enough moments so far to deserve that. It’s a plus that he’s a Mancunian United fan, but if he’s going to play centre forward then goals must come. Rashford was playing out of his favourite central position for most of his games in red so far, but some of his goals have provided the best moments in recent years. His penalty in Paris was the best single moment for United in 2018-19, with the added bonus that it made Neymar cry. To take that at such a young age when confronted by so much pressure was brave. He put the ball past Gianluigi Buffon, the most venerated goalkeeper in football, while all the time ignoring PSG’s players who were trying to put him off.

Rashford did that after ousting Romelu Lukaku as the main striker and there were other big-game moments, the winner away to Champions League finalists Spurs in January after a sublime Paul Pogba pass, but he must also be scoring against lesser teams.

Starring in Jesse Lingard’s summer social media videos doesn’t do anyone any favours, but Rashford is grounded and pleasant enough to be well regarded on the grapevine.

He must improve though. His free kicks should be aimed at the opponent’s goal rather than the international space station. Halfway through the season he’d scored as many goals for England as he had for United. His purple patch when Solskjaer arrived disappeared not to return.

First, though, the man Jose Mourinho described as being ‘at the head of the talent’ at Old Trafford must get out of the slump which afflicted him towards the end of last season. He’s not alone there, but his sullen demeanour in the final matches showed a man unhappy with himself and those around him.

United have produced plenty of great home-grown players but too few of them have been strikers. Rashford has time, but he shouldn’t be sold in a fit of pique because last season finished poorly.

United are keen to lift the mood, and Solskjaer’s comments that Rashford’s “upbringing means he truly understands what it means to play for Manchester United” are partly true. If it truly did, then he wouldn’t have tweeted “3 points is all that matters” after a poor home win against West Ham in March. But at least it was a win. Truth is, United don’t only need to win, they need to do so by playing entertaining attacking football.

It’s tough at the top, but Rashford has shown the talent to get there and he’s already experienced at 21. If he can spearhead and improve a fast young United side then the current malaise will be quickly forgotten.