Manchester United need England to repeat the favour they did with Marcus Rashford

For Marcus Rashford last season, there is a period that could be classified as before World Cup and one that we'll call after World Cup. Up until the winter tournament in Qatar, Rashford scored eight goals in 19 games and did enough to end his spell in the international wilderness.

Then came the tournament and a respectable return of three goals and some lively performances. Rashford looked one of England's most dangerous forwards and his introduction for just the final five minutes of the quarter-final defeat to France was heavily criticised.

England might have gone out earlier than they had hoped for, but something clicked for Rashford. He returned to United in even better form than he had left and with his confidence levels surging.

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He scored in his first seven United games after the World Cup and managed 17 in 19 games up to the point when he scored in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle at Wembley. He reached 30 for the season for the first time in his career.

But as we've seen so often with the 25-year-old, periods when he is unstoppable can quickly turn into periods when he is all too easy to stop. Rashford is a confidence player and when his mojo goes it can often be betrayed in his body language, which is certainly the case this season.

There has been just one goal in 12 games for club and country, that trademark right-footed finish against Arsenal at the Emirates. That didn't provide the lift-off for Rashford's season that he might have hoped for. Instead, his levels have sunk so rapidly that he was taken off after just 63 minutes at the weekend when