Manchester United star Marcus Rashford admits he finds it easier to play as a left winger than being ‘isolated’ in a lone striker role.
The 22-year-old has excelled in both attacking roles this season, scoring 19 goals in 31 appearances before being struck down by a stress fracture in his back in January.
With Anthony Martial assuming the No 9 position when fit this campaign, Rashford revealed he preferred to play down the flank because he added more to the team and also suggested it helped his partnership with the France international.
‘When you are on the left, you can create a lot more things on your own, giving that little bit more to the team,’ Rashford told UTD Podcast.
‘Whereas when you are playing up front, sometimes you are isolated and need someone in midfield who can find passes for 90 minutes of a game, so you can disappear in games sometimes as a No 9.
‘When I transitioned to a No 9 when I was younger, that’s the bit that I struggled with as I was always someone who wanted to express myself on the ball.
‘When I started playing No 9, I realised that you don’t see the ball as often as you do in other positions, but when you do see the ball, it’s an opportunity to score goals.
‘That’s what I loved about being a No 9 and that’s what I still love about it. But right now I’m enjoying having the freedom to mix between the two – and I think it suits us well at the moment as Anthony [Martial] likes to drift to the left and drop deep as well.’
Rashford catapulted on to the scene at Old Trafford when he scored twice as a centre forward during his debut for the club in a 2015 Europa League match against Midtjylland.
With Wayne Rooney in the squad, and then the subsequent arrivals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku, Rashford was forced to play on the flanks through his early development years.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over United, the Norweigan installed Rashford as the No 9 ahead of Lukaku during the second half the 2018-19 campaign, before deciding to slot Martial in as the main centre forward for the current season.
