Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has expressed his commitment to helping Marcus Rashford regain peak form, while urging the England international to demonstrate his determination.
Rashford scored the first goal of the Amorim era during Sunday’s match against Ipswich. However, he struggled for much of the game, having been deployed in a central striker role—a position he reportedly finds less favorable.
It has been nearly 18 months since Rashford’s standout 2022/23 season, during which he netted a career-high 30 goals under Erik ten Hag.
Amorim acknowledged that the role he assigned Rashford on Sunday may not have been ideal and assured fans that he will work closely with the 27-year-old to restore his best form.
Ultimately, the new United manager emphasized that Rashford’s resurgence will depend largely on the player’s own commitment and drive.
“We’ll try to find the right solution for him but he has to be Marcus, first of all, to try to return to that moment,” said Amorim.
“Then he will have all the help of the staff, the club and the fans because he is a Manchester United boy. But he has to be the first one to want it.”
Only Everton and the bottom two, Crystal Palace and Southampton, have scored fewer than United’s 13 goals in the Premier League this season. Alejandro Garnacho is their top scorer with three.
It is little wonder that Amorim has been linked with a move for one of his former Sporting players in ex-Coventry forward Viktor Gyokeres, who is riding high in the Champions League top scorers’ chart this season with five.
But Amorim is steering conversations away from those thoughts. He feels there is enough talent in the United squad to find the net more often.
“Of course there is a concern,” Amorim said. “You could feel it in the second half [against Ipswich] when we controlled possession of the ball but we were not dangerous.
“I know the question is if I need a new striker scoring goals, but I think we have to improve as a team.
“We have quality players who can score so many goals. Rasmus [Hojlund] and Josh [Zirkzee] and Rashford will score more goals. Even Bruno [Fernandes] has to score more goals. Amad [Diallo] has to be better near the goal. All these guys need to improve.”
Ruben Amorim expressed his excitement ahead of his first home match as Manchester United head coach, set for Thursday against Norwegian club Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.
On Wednesday, Amorim faced a packed press conference at United’s Carrington training ground, a stark contrast to his complaints about media obligations following Sunday’s match against Ipswich.
That post-match interview took an unexpected turn when Ipswich shareholder and pop star Ed Sheeran made a surprise interruption during Amorim’s conversation with Sky Sports.
Sheeran’s impromptu appearance sparked considerable debate, and the singer later issued an apology. However, Amorim downplayed the incident, indicating it was not a significant concern for him.
“It was nothing,” Amorim said. “It was a simple question to say hello to one of the commentators.
“I was with Roy Keane. He’s a real star. It was really OK.”
Players need to take blame for Ten Hag exit – Fernandes
Captain Bruno Fernandes has reiterated that Manchester United’s players must shoulder some responsibility for Erik ten Hag’s dismissal.
Fernandes revealed that he spoke with Ten Hag following the manager’s departure on October 28, acknowledging the collective role the team played in the decision.
“Obviously, if you change a manager in mid-season, it is because things are not going as you want – and everyone has to take the blame,” Fernandes said.
“As I said before, it is easier to get rid of a manager than 15 or 20 players.
“But now our focus is on what the future can bring and as quickly as possible get the new ideas of the manager.”