Roy Keane Says Marcus Rashford Is ‘Back to His Best’ After England Goals

Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes Marcus Rashford is “back to his best” following his performances for England during the November international break.

Rashford continued his excellent goalscoring form on Sunday when he netted England's third goal in the 4-0 win over Kosovo in UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying. That was after he scored for the Three Lions on Thursday at Wembley Stadium in the 7-0 win over Montenegro.

Speaking on ITV (h/t the United website) following the forward's display, Keane said he thinks Rashford has found his groove again after an inconsistent beginning to the campaign:

“Brilliant, brilliant goal. What a finish. He is back to his best. It was a lovely play, nice and simple. Does it matter about the opposition? Of course it does, because they're getting opportunities, but that was the goal of the night. A lovely finish. Pure quality.

“…The attacking three players you'd have at the minute are [Raheem] Sterling, [Harry] Kane and Rashford. The three of them are outstanding players who cause you all sorts of headaches.”

The United Twitter account shared footage of Rashford's goal from Sunday, which he finished with impudence at the end of a counter against Kosovo:

Manchester United @ManUtd

🎯 @MarcusRashford

#MUFC #ThreeLions
https://t.co/ByFwBl5Am6

Henry Winter of The Times commented on how much of an influence Rashford had on the game when he came off the bench on Sunday:

Henry Winter @henrywinter

Rashford’s impact when he came on immense, stretches and scares opponents with those runs, that pace and directness, and that smooth finish. 10 goals in 38 internationals. 9 goals in last 10 games for club and country. Special talent, and only just turned 22. #eng #KOSENG #mufc

Per OptaJoe, the forward joined a select group of United players to reach double figures for goals for England:

OptaJoe @OptaJoe

10 – Marcus Rashford is the seventh player to score 10 goals for England while playing for Manchester United:

49 Bobby Charlton
44 Wayne Rooney
25 Bryan Robson
16 Tommy Taylor
14 Paul Scholes
11 David Beckham
10 Marcus Rashford

Devilish. https://t.co/o2ou47QwZt

The composure Rashford has shown in front of goal for England follows on from some improved displays for United, which in turn were inspired by some good performances for the Three Lions during the previous international break.

After struggling in attack earlier in the campaign, United have started to play with more fluidity and thrust in recent weeks. That's been to Rashford's benefit, as he's been able to have an increased influence in the final third, whether that be operating from the left flank or through the middle.

Football journalist Sam Cunningham put some of the numbers surrounding the 22-year-old into context:

Sam Cunningham @samcunningham

So many Manchester United fans criticise Rashford all the time, but he's now scored nine goals in 10 games for club and country. And only just turned 22.

The challenge for Rashford in the months to come will be maintaining these standards for a spell of matches.

In the past, the forward has put together sequences of games where goals have flowed, and as a result, many have tipped him to take his game to the next level. As of yet, he's not been able to do that, albeit he remains in the early stages of his career.

For United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the improvements in Rashford's game will be a welcome sight, and he'll be hoping the forward can continue building ahead of a crucial festive period for the Red Devils, starting with the showdown at Sheffield United on Saturday in the Premier League.  

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