Despite his goalscoring return on Saturday, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have to deny Marcus Rashford his preferred position this season. Rashford scored Leicester City beat United 4-2 at the King Power Stadium, but his future may not lie on the left flank.
Marcus Rashford returned against Leicester City. (Image: GETTY)
In April 2020, Rashford explained why he prefers to play as a left-winger rather than the sole striker in Solskjaer's 4-2-3-1 system.
He told the UTD Podcast: "When you are on the left, you can create a lot more things on your own, giving that little bit more to the team.
"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 number nine.
"When I transitioned to a number ninewhen I was younger, that's the bit that I struggled with as I was always someone who wanted to express myself on the ball."
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Mason Greenwood's stunning opener continued his impressive start to the season as Solskjaer's first-choice right-winger.
And while Rashford will be tipped to replace Jadon Sancho on the left, United won't want to see the player they paid £73million for this summer on the bench.
So Solskjaer may have to use Rashford as his central striker, despite Cristiano Ronaldo's summer arrival.
With Ronaldo unlikely to play every game, the England international might have to settle with competing for a place with the 36-year-old.
Mason Greenwood scored a screamer against Leicester. (Image: GETTY)
Solskjaer rested Ronaldo against Everton in United's last Premier League game, indicating the Portuguese ace can't expect to play in every outing.
After a few seasons of having to somewhat overplay for the Red Devils, Rashford may have to settle for a rotational role - predominately down the middle - to start with after his return.
Sancho is yet to register a goal or assist for United, but Solskjaer will persist with his long-standing primary transfer target.
Rashford is back with a bang, but his place in the team is no longer guaranteed given Ronaldo and Sancho's arrivals and Greenwood's improvement.