Erik ten Hag sets goalscoring target for Man Utd forward
By Henry Burt
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has challenged Marcus Rashford to score 20 Premier League goals this season as his search for a consistent frontman at the club continues.
The Red Devils are threadbare up front since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in November, with the injury-prone Anthony Martial the only other option in the central striker position.
Rashford is United's top scorer so far this campaign with nine goals in all competitions, although just four of them have come in the Premier League. Even so, the 25-year-old's tally represents a major return to form after a hugely disappointing campaign in 2021/22.
Speaking ahead of United's return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest, Ten Hag said: "I don’t want to pin myself to a number. I said from the start, I said it from one of the first days Rashy is capable of scoring 20 goals in the Premier League only. So I'm convinced about that.
"He now has four but he scored many other goals. He scored three at the World Cup, so then he has the potential to score those numbers of goals in the Premier League."
United have 24 remaining Premier League games this season, with Rashford needing 16 goals to reach the milestone his manager wants to see from him.
Rashford's best Premier League goal tally was the 17 he got in 2019/20. Last season's total of just four in the league was the worst of his career, having even scored more (5) in just 11 games when he first burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old in the final chunk of 2015/16.