Rashford may be dropped by Rangnick at Man Utd if he continues to underperform

 

 started with a respectable 6.5, then a rubbish 3.5, then 5.5, 6, 6, 6, 6.5 and finally a 5.5 at Carrow Road on Saturday which, if we’re being honest, was kind.

They are Marcus Rashford’s player ratings issued by Sportsmail’s reporters in every game he’s started since his return from shoulder surgery. The odd stinker amid a handful of ordinary outings, it is not enough to say he must stay a starter for Manchester United.

United won and kept another clean sheet under Ralf Rangnick, though it was not a dominant performance against the Premier League’s bottom side. Far from it, and Rangnick described his disappointment at the players’ body language afterwards.

He singled out the ‘offensive department’ for their lack of intensity, and Rashford was not the only poor performer on Saturday.

Jadon Sancho was timid, as if scared of letting down the new boss, deciding to play safe instead of driving at the opposition like the £73million winger he’s supposed to be. Bruno Fernandes was wasteful and Cristiano Ronaldo, though the scorer of the winner from the penalty spot, was ballooning chances from six yards.

It was a mediocre game for many in red shirts but this was not Rashford’s first poor display. He has endured a few of these in his eight starts since surgery in August. His last goal was in October.

Watching him repeatedly run into traffic, lose the ball and fail to threaten a makeshift Norwich back line that included a midfielder at centre back, you asked yourself: what has happened to Rashford?

Maybe he is holding himself back, nervous about placing the responsibility of a post-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era on a shoulder still sensitive from the operation. Maybe it is an attitude issue or maybe the tactics are not suited to his style. Maybe it is just the kind of bad patch which any player can experience, especially those who are judged on scoring goals.

Whatever it is, part of Rangnick’s role in the next six months is to revive Rashford. That may need to be via the substitutes’ bench if it is decided Ronaldo would benefit better from having Edinson Cavani or Mason Greenwood beside him. Who fronts the 4-2-2-2 formation is becoming an issue for the new boss.