What is Rashford’s best position? Ten Hag has his say on Man Utd & England forward

• Has played down both flanks
• And down the middle
• Selection poser for club and country

WHAT HAPPENED? The England international will always occupy an attacking berth when taking to the field for club or country, but he has struggled to nail down one specific role. There was a time when Rashford saw himself as a central striker, with more minutes seen as a No.9 this season, while he was shifted out to the right flank for United’s last Premier League outing against Aston Villa.

WHAT THEY SAID: That move was made in order to get Alejandro Garnacho playing on the left, but Ten Hag admits that a tactical tweak he made does not play to Rashford’s strengths. The Dutch coach said of the 25-year-old forward: “'He can play there, as he can stretch across all the three positions, and he can score goals in each [of them]. The best position for Rashford is the number nine or coming in from the left.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Even Ten Hag would appear to be unsure as to where Rashford should be deployed on a regular basis, with versatility doing the Red Devils academy graduate few favours as he seeks a rediscover a spark that was lost during the 2021-22 campaign.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Rashford does have seven goals and three assists to his name this season, and that return may yet earn him a place in England’s squad for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.