Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim refused to rule out further tweaks to his team and it could impact Marcus Rashford.
Rashford started as the lone striker for the Red Devils in Amorim’s first game in charge and got on the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town last Sunday.
The 27-year-old’s goal was his fifth of the season across all competitions and ended a run of seven consecutive Premier League fixtures without scoring.
Amorim’s choice to place Rashford up top deviated from how his predecessor Erik ten Hag used him, which was on the left wing in a front three.
Although Rashford scored during a rare berth up front in Amorim’s favoured 3-4-2-1 formation, the Portuguese boss revealed it isn’t the long-term plan.
Amorim is also determined to get Rashford back to the blistering form he enjoyed during the 2022/23 campaign when he netted 17 times in 35 league appearances, but insisted it will only happen if the English star heeds a two-word demand.
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“I will try to help him,” Amorim said.
“That position is not the best one for him, especially in a game like that. We have to kick with high pressure, we have to kick the ball so many times and it was like fighting with two giants.
“We’ll try to find the right solution for him, as for the other players. But he has to be Marcus, first of all, to try to return to that moment and then he will have all the help of the staff, the club and the fans because he’s a Manchester United boy.
“But he has to be the first one to want it.”
Amorim also hinted Rashford is likely to be dropped from the starting line-up for United’s Europa League clash against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
However, Rashford’s axing would not be performance-related as Amorim seeks to speed up the acclimatisation process for all of his stars.
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“We have to do it (rotate), especially in this moment because we have a lot of games, and we are in the beginning of something,” Amorim said.
“They have to feel that they are part of the team, so they are international players, they will rotate.
“We will try to manage to try and win every game and not just focus on this game, have a clear idea of how to play and everybody has to be on the same page.”
Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund looms as the next option to start up top for the Red Devils as he was the man who replaced Rashford in the 68th minute against Ipswich.
Hojlund, who joined in July last year for an initial £64million from Atalanta, had a disrupted start to the season as he worked his way back from a hamstring injury.
The 21-year-old has since scored just twice in 13 appearances for United across all competitions this term and will be desperate to impress if chosen to lead the line against Bodo.
Manchester United’s strikers compared in 24/25
Marcus Rashford: Five goals, three assists from 19 appearances
Rasmus Hojlund: Two goals, zero assists from 13 appearances
Joshua Zirkzee: One goal, two assists from 18 appearances
Polarising summer recruit Joshua Zirkzee is another who could fill the central striker role in Amorim’s formation.
After netting the winner in his Red Devils debut against Fulham, Zirkzee has failed to score in the following 17 games for United.
It leaves Amorim with a serious conundrum as he looks to ignite his misfiring striking unit.
United’s clash against Bodo at Old Trafford kicks off at 7pm as Amorim’s side look to make it six games unbeaten across the board.
