The Premier League makes its return this weekend following the third international break of the season so far, and with it, Manchester United will get to see new boss Ruben Amorim in the dugout for the first time.
The 39-year-old has been tasked with ultimately leading the Red Devils back to the glory of years past, but the immediate objective will be to try and get the club back into the Champions League for next year.
However, while he can certainly help with his tactical approach and man-management skills, he’ll need his players to rediscover their form of two seasons ago, notably Marcus Rashford.
Fortunately, the club were linked with a player who could help the Englishman get back to his very best last week, a player who could be the manager’s perfect wing-back.
Rashford's recent form
Just two years ago, Rashford was in the form of his life for United.
By the time the 22/23 campaign ended, the Englishman had racked up a frankly ridiculous haul of 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances, equating to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games.
However, his form did not continue into last season, and instead, he went from one of the most dangerous forwards in all of Europe to someone who could only score eight goals and provide six assists in 43 games.
Unfortunately, this dramatic nosedive in form has seemingly continued into this year, and while he’s looked slightly better here and there, two of his four goals and one of his three assists came against League One Barnsley in the League Cup.
In all, before the new manager was appointed, things did not look good for the Manchester-born attacker’s future prospects at the Theatre of Dreams.
However, the arrival of Amorim gives him a chance to start again, and if recent reports linking the club to an up-and-coming left-back are accurate, then there is still every chance that the local lad will rediscover his form at United.
The signing who could revive Rashford
Okay, so this exciting left-back in question is Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, who, according to reports from Spain, is now a player Manchester United are intensely interested in and have already held ‘initial inquiries’ over.
There is no mention of a potential price in the story, but reports from earlier this year claimed that while reluctant to sell the Hungarian international, the Cherries would be willing to let him go for around £35m.
Now, that might sound like a lot of money for a player who’s not exactly a household name at the moment, but in reality, it might well be fair value.
For example, in 11 appearances so far this season, the 21-year-old has already picked up two assists.
Furthermore, while his output of a single assist last season is far from headline-grabbing stuff, it has to be looked at within the context of playing for a team that finished in the bottom half of the Premier League, so defensive solidity was and still is priority number one for the Vrbas-born star.
With that said, you can get a good idea of his attacking abilities by looking at his form with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, where he scored five goals and provided eight assists in just 57 games, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every 4.38 games.
Moreover, his underlying numbers from the Europa Conference League in the 22/23 campaign make for some impressive reading, with FBref ranking him in the top 8% of full-backs for assists, the top 9% for non-penalty expected goals, and the top 17% for total shots all per 90.
Assists
0.32
Top 8%
Non-Penalty xG
0.13
Top 9%
Non-Penalty xG + Assists
0.29
Top 10%
Non-Penalty Goals
0.21
Top 16%
Total Shots
1.27
Top 17%
Touches in the Opposition Box
2.33
Top 18%
In all, with the defensive maturity he has shown at the Vitality Stadium in the last season and a bit, combined with his attacking ability demonstrated in the Netherlands, it feels like the “insane talent”, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, would make the perfect wing-back in Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formation.
Moreover, having a wing-back who can defend and bomb forward can only help Rashford in his quest to rediscover his form.
It should come as no surprise that during his incredible form in the 22/23 season, Luke Shaw started most games behind him, whereas he was unfit for most of last season and hasn’t played this year.
The 27-year-old forward needs a consistent and reliable partner on the left to help him do what he does best, and given his abilities, that partner could well be Kerkez.
Ultimately, it might not be a name that excites most fans, but based on his form in the last couple of seasons, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co should be doing what they can to sign the Bournemouth star in 2025.
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