Manchester United have four underperforming players this season

Manchester United have scored 79 goals this season and Marcus Rashford is responsible for 27 of them. That equates to around 34 per cent of the team's goals and highlights the extent of his spectacular renaissance.

But what happens if Rashford stops scoring? Although last season, in which he scored just five goals, was the worst in the player's career and he'd insist it was merely a blip, his next challenge is to sustain those displays across the entirety of 2023.

The ability to consistently perform at the highest level separates the good players from the elite and that is the next step for Rashford, who has played the best football of his career throughout this campaign with Erik ten Hag in charge.

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Rashford, who has reverted to acting on instinct, a sign of confidence, has been unplayable at times. His goals have been instrumental in the team's success, but they have also drawn attention away from the output of those around him.

With the exception of Rashford, the club's attackers have actually let the squad down this season, as they have not scored frequently enough, which has left the academy graduate to almost single-handedly carry the burden of finding the net.

There are four senior attacking players, Antony, Wout Weghorst, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial, who have 20 goals between them and those individuals need to take more responsibility for the remainder of the season.

Rashford is responsible for 34 per cent of the side's goals and yet those four players are responsible for just 25 per cent, which suggests that if he'd sustained an injury, the final third would be an even bigger problem area for Ten Hag.

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