Rashford will return to form when United start to improve

Here at bettingexpert, Devang Prasard sat down with former Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre to discuss Rasmus Højlund’s adaptation to life at Manchester United, as well as the form of Marcus Rashford.

In this article:

• More to come from Rasmus Højlund
• Rashford will return to form when United start to improve
• Losing Martnez for two months is a tough blow
• Mount can be as influential as Fernandes
• Maguire must grab his new opportunity

---

More to come from Rasmus Højlund

The hunt for a striker has been high on the list of objectives for Manchester United for quite some time. At a point, it appeared as though Harry Kane was destined for the Theatre of Dreams. This summer, it seemed a true possibility as he made it clear he wanted to win trophies. In the end, the England international ended up joining German champions Bayern Munich for an estimated €100 million.

United ended up committing a large chunk of their summer window kitty on Danish striker Rasmus Højlund, who cost the club £72m. So far, he has managed to bag three goals in eight appearances for the Red Devils. So far, so good, according to former Red Mikael Silvestre, who says he’s happy with what he’s seen from Hojlund so far.

“Hojlund has been pretty good. He started with an injury and it’s difficult to catch up after that but his confidence is growing and he is bringing pace, power and he is improving his movement.”

“I´m happy with what I see from Rasmus Hojlund.”

Rashford will return to form when United start to improve

What does Marcus Rashford need to do to return to the level of form and confidence he displayed last season? It’s a question being asked across the football world right now. What happened to Rashford’s 30-goal season Rashford from the 22/23 season? So far, Rashford has just one goal to his name, but Silvestre isn’t worried by the slow start from Rashford.

“I think the consistency from Marcus Rashford will come again. He has been creating himself and others.”

“I think it’s just a matter of time because he knows he has to peak now and once the team starts improving, I think he will go back to scoring regularly.”

“It’s difficult to point a finger at what has been the issue but I think he has just been suffering under the lack of consistency from the team.”

“Of course, for him to be dominant and score a lot of goals will be tough when the team is not performing.”

Losing Martinez for two months is a tough blow

In other news, a recurrence of the injury sustained to Lisdandro Martinez last season against Sevilla had led to the Argentine undergoing surgery. This will leave the Reds without the defender for two months. Silvestre says Martinez and Raphael Varane are United’s best defensive partnership and will be a harsh blow to Erik ten Hag’s hopes for United this season.

“Lisandro Martinez´ injury is a blow, for sure. He has done well and he is their strongest defender so the team needs him.”

“I still think Martinez and Varane are the best pairing so his absence will be noticed. He is the most aggressive of the defenders and his character is a big value for the club.”

“Two months is a long time, so it will be tough.”

Mount can be as influential as Fernandes

Mason Mount is another summer signing for United who has had his time at the club so far blighted by injury. Mount joined United in the summer window after coming through the Chelsea Cobham academy system and breaking into the first team. Whilst Mount hasn’t hit the ground running, Silvestre expects Mount to be as influential as club Captain Bruno Fernandes.

“I think Mason Mount has adapted very slowly at Man United. I expected him to hit the ground running a bit faster because he was there in the pre-season.”

“He knows the Premier League and he knows what Man United is about. But again, the team is struggling and it affects him as well.”

“It has been a tough time for Mount and he hasn’t performed very well but he is trying. When things get better he can provide and be the Mason Mount we know he can be in terms of creating chances and score goals.”

“He can be as influential as Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen.”

Maguire must grab his new opportunity

With left-sided centre halves Martinez and Luke Shaw out injured alongside Varane, it appears as though Harry Maguire has a huge opportunity to stake a claim in the side and revitalise his United career. It appeared as though Maguire was set to leave the club this summer, with West Ham keen on acquiring his services. Silvestre urges Maguire to make the most of this chance to get back into the United side ahead of the Euros next summer.

“With Shaw and Martinez out, Maguire gets his opportunity now and he needs to grab it. If he can play more games in a row and come back in a good rhythm it’s a good opportunity for him and he should grab it.”

“He still has a spot in the England spot so he needs to perform at the highest level and this is a good opportunity for him.”

---

SAFER GAMBLING

At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.