Wayne Rooney happy with the form and confidence displayed by Marcus Rashford

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney is happy with the form and confidence shown by Marcus Rashford during this season.

Rooney has pointed out that the 25-year-old is enjoying his game while being in a great place off the field is helping him big time.

Rashford has had an excellent campaign with 27 goals and nine assists in 44 appearances in all competitions. He is one of the major reasons why United have already won a cup, are alive in the other two and doing well in the league.

Here’s what Rooney wrote about him in his column for the Times:

“If you think back to only a year ago, Marcus was in and out of the starting XI, hardly scoring, playing in different positions and the smile I remembered from that lovely kid who came through the ranks and broke into our team when I was captain was gone.

“Now, he looks a totally different player and to be in a great place off the pitch as well. You can see he is enjoying his football and is more positive in his running. He penetrates with his runs off the ball and commits defenders when he’s on the ball — doing everything I wrote about wanting to see from him.”

Last season was probably tough for every United player in the squad. Managers changing, the mood not being great and Rashford coming off a shoulder surgery that forced him to miss early parts of the campaign.

With a settled manager now at the helm, everything seems to be in the right place for the England international. He is not only scoring or assisting goals but being a focal point of United’s attacks game after game.

Having played a lot of football since the World Cup, it was fortunate that he picked up a niggle just before the international break. That enabled him to pull out from the England squad and possibly have a few days off before the final stretch of this season.

We hope to see the best version of Rashford in the key games coming up. It won’t an overstatement to say that the 25-year-old’s form in the final third might dictate what the Red Devils do in the remaining games of the campaign.

More Manchester United News:

• Erik ten Hag says Anthony Martial could be back for Newcastle fixture
• Manchester United have ‘concerns’ over England international Harry Maguire
• Eddie Howe ‘pushing’ to sign Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay

If he continues his form and delivers one or two more trophies, he must be in contention for the Player of the Year award.