Marcus Rashford had a ‘confidence crisis’ that made him want to become a tenacious midfielder
Marcus Rashford’s former youth coach reveals a ‘crisis of confidence’ left the Manchester United striker wanting to become a HOLDING MIDFIELDER early in his playing career
- Marcus Rashford is having his best Man United season in front of goal
- It comes from a season where the England star lacked confidence
- A youth coach revealed that Rashford had a “confidence crisis” earlier in his career
Marcus Rashford is one of the Premier League’s most prolific finishers, but a crisis of confidence earlier in his career left him wanting to play as a defensive midfielder.
The England international is having his best season to date with 27 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions.
He has made huge progress under Erik ten Hag after appearing to lack confidence last season – scoring just five times in 32 appearances.
Rashford showed great promise as a striker during his time in the academy, but a former coach of his has revealed how he wanted to switch positions when things weren’t going so well.
Neil Ryan, who worked for United’s academy for 15 years before becoming England’s U18 boss, said FourFourTwo: ‘At Under 12 and Under 13 he was fantastic and often competed against older boys.
Marcus Rashford wanted to become a midfielder as a teenager due to a self-confidence problem
Rashford (pictured in a 2015 U18 game) felt he didn’t have the pace to blast past players and didn’t have the same confidence as his coaches in his ability to be a striker
Rashford scored 27 goals in 45 games in all competitions in his best year to date
“You didn’t feel like it was effortless like Ravel Morrison. Marcus’s attitude and talent always stood out, but at the age of 14 he suffered a crisis of confidence and wanted to become a defensive midfielder.
“I remember talking to his mother and brothers. He talked about wanting to touch the ball more. He didn’t have the pace to burn past others then because he was still growing, but we always thought he would be an attacker.’
Ryan’s confidence in Rashford as a striker has paid off for United as he has scored 120 senior goals for the Red Devils in his career.
After convincing Rashford to stick out as a striker, he was given his senior debut for United by Louis van Gaal in February 2016, aged 18.
He went on to score the net in his first Europa League and Premier League outings, while also hitting the back of the net on his debut for England.
There were concerns that Rashford’s career was going downhill after a miserable 2021-22 season, but only three players (Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Ivan Toney) have scored more in the Premier League this year.
United are currently in a battle to make the top four and Rashford’s goals will be vital if they are to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
The decision to stay on as a striker has paid off as he has scored 120 goals for Manchester United
