Marcus Rashford has revealed the reason for his reinvigorated performances this season.
Rashford has already matched his goal contribution tally from last season, registering four goals and two assists in 12 appearances so far in all competitions.
The 24-year-old scored his 100th goal for United last night in what turned out to be the decisive decider against West Ham United. He towered over Thilo Kehrer with conviction and determination to find Christian Eriksen’s deft cross and produce a bullet header past Łukasz Fabiański.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Rashford noted that his mental health is a key factor in improving his form.
“It’s a completely different energy around the club and the training ground. That puts me in a better head space and now I feel really motivated.
“Sometimes I was struggling with more mental things. It wasn’t really my own performance, but other things off the field. That’s the biggest difference from last season.”
Rashford was dropped from the starting lineup following the arrival of Ralf Rangnick. The German preferred the young Anthony Elanga.
“I understand that it is your job to talk about what is happening on the pitch, but, for the players, we have to get into the right mental space for each game.
“Too often last season, I wasn’t in the right head space for games. I wasn’t surprised by some of the things that were happening.”
A clear-headed Rashford who shoots at full throttle will be a boon to Erik ten Hag as the Dutchman instills a warrior mentality within the team.
United faces Real Sociedad on Thursday in the last game of the Europa League group stage.
Ten Hag’s side have to beat the Basque club by a two-goal deficit to finish top of the group; Rashford is expected to be a key challenger to overcome this task.
