# Marcus Rashford’s Struggling Form Causes Concern at Manchester United
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has been in poor form this season, scoring just one goal and three assists in his first 10 appearances. This has caused concern among fans and pundits alike, with former United star Andy Cole suggesting that the 25-year-old might benefit from being dropped in order to regain his confidence.
Last season, Rashford was undroppable, bagging 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 games across all competitions, with the forward looking reborn under Erik ten Hag. It was easily the best campaign of his career so far and he was rewarded with both the Manchester United Player and Players’ Player of the Year awards.
2023/24 has been a very different story so far however, with performances nowhere near the standard set last season. Though the Red Devils as a whole are enduring a woeful start, – six losses in the opening 11 games – Rashford’s underwhelming form is concerning, though he did manage to score a fantastic goal in England’s 3-1 victory over Italy recently.
Some have suggested the Three Lions star should be dropped from the starting XI in favour of the electric Alejandro Garnacho and United legend Cole isn’t opposed to the idea.
## Andy Cole’s Advice for Marcus Rashford
‘When I was a footballer, whenever I lacked belief I wanted to stay in the starting eleven in a bid to regain my confidence,’ the former forward told Betfred. ‘However, now that I’m retired, I can see why it’s good for some players to be taken out of the firing line.
‘If you don’t count last season for Marcus and you look at the two seasons prior to that, his form was exactly the same as it is now. You can only ask Marcus what the problem is, but we know that the season before last that he was dealing with some personal issues, which is something that he admitted last year.
‘And after how good he was last season, we were all expecting him to kick on again in this current campaign and have the confidence in himself to replicate that form. When you look at Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, you’d never have a conversation about them having an off year. Marcus needs to discover how he can maintain that high level of consistency.’
## Manchester United’s Upcoming Fixtures
With United languishing down in 10th in the Premier League table, eight points off leaders Tottenham, Rashford and the rest of his side need to recapture their magic and fast. Up next for Ten Hag’s side is a trip to Sheffield United on Saturday night, followed by a must-win Champions League clash against Copenhagen and then the Manchester derby next Sunday.
It remains to be seen if Ten Hag will take Cole’s advice and drop Rashford from the starting XI in order to help him regain his confidence. Whatever happens, it’s clear that Manchester United need their star forward back to his best if they are to turn their season around.