da apostaganha： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da pixbet： Marcus Rashford is the danger man for Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night.
On the chalkboard
Spurs travel to Old Trafford in a huge game in the Premier League, as Jose Mourinho takes on his former employers for the first time.
And if they are to have any success, they will have to stop Rashford, who has been a shining light in an otherwise disappointing season for the Red Devils.
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United are currently 10th, level on points with Burnley, but the England international has scored seven Premier League goals in 14 appearances or one in every two.
Add into that the forward’s four assists and one gets a picture of a player who is affecting the game at the top end of the pitch.
Per WhoScored, Rashford averages three shots per game, as well as 1.4 key passes and 1.8 dribbles, while he is fouled 1.6 times per game. Perhaps surprisingly, he also makes 0.8 tackles per game while averaging a pass success rate of 76.7%.
A looming threat
Mourinho will have to find a way to stop the 22-year-old if Spurs are to take all three points.
Per those fixtures where Transfermarkt has recorded his position, Rashford has played nine times as a left winger this season and nine times as a centre-forward; he has played as the former in the last five Premier League outings.
If that remains the case, it will come down to Serge Aurier to stop him.
The Spurs right-back has been in good form under Mourinho, laying on two assists and scoring once in his first three games, but that has been as a more attack-minded presence.
He will have to keep his discipline – he was sent off against Southampton earlier this season and conceded a penalty against Liverpool – and hold his position to avoid Rashford exploiting the space in behind and creating chances for both himself and his team-mates.
It is a big job, but the defender simply has to do it.
Meanwhile, one Spurs midfielder has another huge task on his hands against United.