[ad_1]
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been told to try to use Marcus Rashford on the substitutes bench against Arsenal, despite the attacker scoring a midweek hat-trick in the win over the RB Leipzig.
Rashford came off the bench in the 63rd minute and scored a three-goal hat-trick in less than 20 minutes to seal a resounding Champions League victory at Old Trafford.
The 22-year-old now has seven goals and two assists in nine games across all competitions as he looks to maintain his form from last season, in which he recorded 22 goals and 11 assists in 44 games.
But Paul Merson acknowledges that the English international, who has lined up as United’s left forward with Anthony Martial as center forward, should be tested from the bench by Solskjaer.
The former Arsenal and Aston Villa striker believes Rashford could be the ideal impact replacement after his contribution to Leipzig.
DO NOT MISS: Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts to Marcus Rashford’s heroics
Merson wrote for the Daily Star: “Marcus Rashford is the perfect super substitute and should start on Manchester United’s bench this weekend.
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should use it more often because statistics show that this is where it can be most dangerous at times.
“When he starts, he doesn’t really score a lot of goals and often finds it difficult. But he came in this week against Leipzig and scored a hat-trick in 16 minutes!
“If you look at when he scores his goals this season, they tell you a story.
“He scored as a substitute against Luton in the 88th minute in the EFL Cup. He scored in the second half against Brighton.
PREMIER LEAGUE ON TV: Get NOW TV’s Sky Sports Season Pass and Save 25 Percent
“He scored in the last minute against Newcastle. He scored three minutes from time against Paris St-Germain and all his goals against Leipzig were late in the game.”
“Their goals come against tired defenders. Maybe United should experiment with that.
“Arsenal is going to be a close game. If it’s 0-0 after 60 minutes and Rashford comes in just as the defenders are getting tired, he could have a field day.
“Don’t get me wrong. Marcus Rashford is too good to spend his entire career as a supersub. He’s an England international.
“But I think he needs a break and playing a few games off the bench could actually do him some good in the long run.
READ MORE…
Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gives an update on injuries
Man Utd boss Solskjaer urged to sign Upamecano compared to two legends
Man Utd may have discovered more than one solution to defensive problems
“The rest of the United bench isn’t changing a game for Solskjaer. But Rashford can. And there’s no better feeling as a manager than having a gun like that.
“Rashford is a better player when the game opens up and there’s room to break in. But United can’t open games early on because they’re not good enough defensively.
“You’ve got to have players tire the defenders so that when Rashford comes in, those defenders are on their knees. Anthony Martial can do that. So could Mason Greenwood.”
Merson agrees that banking Rashford would be a controversial decision, but has urged Solskjaer to have “the bottle” to make such a bold decision.
And he thinks Rashford would benefit from trying to change the rules of the game from the bench for a while.
“Rashford is still a young player with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. A few games off the bench could do him good,” he said.
“But does Solskjaer have the bottle to use it like this? If they lose to Arsenal and Rashford hasn’t started, they will kill him.”
“It’s difficult for Solskjaer to do that. Double strong now that he just scored a hat-trick. But it could be the right thing to do.”
“If I’m a defender, I’d rather Rashford start the game and fade than come back with fresh legs at the end when I’m wrecked.
“There are some players that take 15 minutes to get into a game when they come in. It’s not Rashford. He comes in and he’s at it right away.
“Solskjaer knows what it is like. He was the best at it. He will know. But it will take a bottle to ask Rashford to do it.”
“Good substitutes see space and burn you with their rhythm, and they certainly can if United uses it well. Solskjaer should show some bottle.
“A couple of weeks ago he seemed to be under all kinds of pressure as United boss. They were scammed by Tottenham, and they would have done it even if they hadn’t sent a man off.
“Mauricio Pochettino was still out of work and you wondered if Solskjaer could get caught. But he has changed him brilliantly and deserves a lot of credit.”
This article contains affiliate links, which means that we may receive a commission for any sale of products or services that we write about. This article was written completely independently, see more details here
[ad_2]
