Marcus Rashford reveals toughest opponent and preferred position at Manchester United

Marcus Rashford recently revealed his toughest opponent on the pitch and also his preferred position in the team.

Over the years, Marcus Rashford has become a fan favourite for Manchester United fans. Along with spearheading United’s attack for quite some time now, the English international has also earned plaudits for his off-the-pitch charity work.

Rashford has been an inspiration under Erik ten Hag, finishing last term as the club’s top goalscorer and hitting 30 goals for the first time in his career.

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Recently, during a conversation with former United defender Gary Neville, Rashford revealed that Manchester City’s right-back Kyle Walker has troubled him the most. Thus making him the toughest opponent he has faced on the pitch.

Speaking to Neville during the Quickfire Questions section of The Overlap, the 25-year-old revealed his choice.

‘I would probably say Kyle Walker. His physical capabilities are just unbelievable so it’s always a tough day. 

‘You have to try and catch him off-guard or in the wrong position, but even then he can recover. I just try and drift into places where he can’t drift and he has to pass me on.”

The Manchester-born player has shed some light on where he prefers to play on the pitch. In the past, several managers have deployed him as a left winger, a centre-forward, and as well as a right winger. Talking to Neville, Rashford revealed that he likes to play on the left side of the pitch as prefers running more distance to score goals.

“Left-wing, although I feel like centre-forward you’ve got less distance to cover to score simple goals, I do prefer left. 

He further said that he lacks the ‘patience’ to play up front as he might have to wait for minutes to even get a touch on the ball. Hence, he likes to play on the left wing as it keeps him more involved in the gameplay.

“Left is easier to stay in the game, and from when I was young I’ve always wanted to be involved in the game. That’s why I struggle playing centre forward sometimes because of my patience. You might not touch the ball for 20 minutes, and then your first touch might be an opportunity to score.

“You have to be mentally switched on. I never enjoyed that aspect of it, but as I’ve got older I’ve started to enjoy it a little bit more to play up there.

“The angles of the runs that you make in behind… most of my game is running in behind and trying to stretch defences and give space to some of the other players, and I feel like I run too far inside sometimes and then I’m running backwards to get the ball.

“Whereas on the left it’s more natural, feels more normal.”

Last year, Manchester United struggled a lot to score goals. Anthony Martial‘s injuries and Wout Weghorst’s poor form meant Rashford had to step up the score the goals. However, with the possible inclusion of Rasmus Hojlund into the team this season, Rashford will be less burdened with the goal-scoring responsibilities.