Marcus Rashford’s presence at Manchester United seems to be minimal.
The Red Devils drew 3-3 with Galatasaray in the fifth leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group A match of the 2023-24 season at 2:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday at Rams Global Stadium in Turkkiye Istanbul. The result leaves United in fourth place (4 points) with one win, one draw and three defeats in five games.
Rashford, a regular starter, missed the game. Rashford was sent off for a red card in the fourth group game against Copenhagen. As a result of his sending-off, he was unable to play in this match. Without Rashford, United faced Galatasaray with Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony up front.
United took the lead first. In the 11th minute of the first half, Bruno’s forward pass was met with a sharp shot by Garnacho. United extended their lead to 2-0 in the 18th minute when Bruno’s mid-range shot found the back of the net. Ziyech pulled one back with a direct free kick shortly afterward, but United added a third through McTominay 10 minutes into the second half.
But from then on, United fell apart. In the 17th minute of the second half, Ziyech struck again from a free kick, this time with a powerful strike. The tide began to turn in Galatasaray’s favor, and Akturkoglu equalized in the 26th minute of the second half. United piled on the pressure on Galatasaray until the final whistle, but the game ended 3-3 with no further goals scored.
Rashford has started every game this season, but his absence didn’t seem to affect the draw. “A lot was made of Rashford’s sending-off before kick-off, but he wasn’t really missed,” said the Manchester Evening News. Rashford still hasn’t made an impact all season.”
There were also comparisons to other strikers. “Instead, Garnacho has scored a string of brilliant goals, while Anthony has been in his best form since arriving at United. Rashford has been fortunate to be in a starter’s role all season, but it’s even harder to predict what role he will play for United going forward. At the moment, it looks like he’s going to be on the bench, and he’ll need to be in good form if he wants to start,” he said of Rashford’s presence.
Rashford has struggled this season. An early starter at United, he was a key part of the Red Devils’ core last season, scoring 30 goals in 56 appearances, including cup competitions. However, since the start of the season, he hasn’t been the same. Despite being consistently given a chance to start, he has only managed two goals and one assist in 12 league games.