Manchester United are at a crucial juncture in their season. Yes, its’ still early days but this test against Liverpool is massive for two main reasons. The first is the fact that they are three points behind their rivals at the moment and a loss could really put some distance between themselves and the title-chasing elite.
The second reason is the fact that United still haven't proven doubters that they have shaken off the hangover from the Louis Van Gaal era with their sporadic performances so far. The Red Devils have only managed to win 1 of their last four games and face a very dangerous Liverpool side.
Their two big stars namely Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba haven't shown up in every single game so far. They have lacked consistency in their performances. Pogba has started to gradually improve with every game but while all the attention has been on him, Zlatan’s form dip has gone unnoticed.
He has only managed to score one goal in has last 5 premier league games which is very odd for a player of his caliber. The Swede started off with a bang in the league by scoring 3 in his first 3 but since then has dropped off.
Marcus Rashford after starting on the bench in the first few games of the season is now making the first team on a regular basis. But he has been playing on the wings while Zlatan has been deployed as the central striker.
Rashford has scored 3 goals in his 7 league appearances so far, two off which were from the bench. But he seems to be United’s most exciting avenue in attack and has done exceptionally well.
He looks like a player who is playing with no inhibitions and total freedom. His direct style of play is a nightmare for defenders. Rashford proved last season how good he can be in the central role, scoring twice on his debut against Arsenal.
The Liverpool defense has also been very shaky having not kept a single clean this entire season. Playing Rashford would be a perfect way of throwing them off their game because they would be anticipating a physical battle and wouldn’t be expecting to play against an agile teen who would be willing to take them on with his pace.
If a player is to be considered purely on form then it should be Rashford who makes the starting XI and not Ibrahimovic. A team consisting of both players would also be a good option but Mourinho has already stated that Ibrahimovic will start in the central striking role. But Rashford might still get the nod on the wings and then it will be Milner’s headache to deal with.
