Rashford outdoing Man Utd duo Cantona and Cole as Liverpool game nears

Ten Hag hails depth of Man Utd squad amid quadruple push

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Marcus Rashford’s devastating form under Erik ten Hag has seen him rise above Manchester United legends such as Eric Cantona and Dwight Yorke after a storming season in front of goal, according to new data. The Red Devils forward has been the driving force behind the club’s quadruple push after producing some incredible attacking returns and is now ranking above some Old Trafford icons in statistical terms.

Rashford was facing an uncertain future before the World Cup, with speculation linking him with a move to Paris Saint-Germain. But under Ten Hag, the 25-year-old has found a new lease of life and is enjoying the best goalscoring run of his career since returning from Qatar.

The forward has bagged 25 goals and created nine assists in 39 appearances this season, beating his previous highest total of 22 goals in the 2019-20 campaign. That run includes 17 goals and four assists in his last 20 games in all competitions – a figure that has been unmatchable even for the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

That level of form puts him above French maverick Cantona, as well as dynamic duo Yorke and Cole in their peak seasons in United colours.

According to data collected by OLBG, Rashford’s rate of attacking returns puts him at 1.06 goals or assists per 90 minutes, which is just above Cantona, Cole and Yorke.

Yorke accumulated 29 goals and 19 assists in his 51 appearances in the famous Treble-winning season, but still ranked below Rashford on 1.01 goals and assists per 90.

The season prior to that, Yorke’s strike partner Cole secured the same amount of goals and assists as Rashford currently has but with seven more appearances (41), showing clearly how Rashford is entering new territory compared to heroes of United’s past.

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Only two United legends have performed more efficiently than Rashford, with Wayne Rooney (1.11) and Cristiano Ronaldo (1.08) just above the Wythenshawe-born forward. Rooney clocked 41 goals and assists in 3,317 minutes of action in 2013-14 under David Moyes and Ryan Giggs, making him one of the most potent attackers around.

Ronaldo’s record-breaking season in 2007-08, where he scored 42 goals and assisted another eight, ranks lower as he played a significant amount of minutes more than Rooney.

Of course, it can be pointed out that Rashford on 34 goals and assists has the same number as Cole and ranks below the highest totals posted by Cantona (38) and Yorke (48) in their time at the club.

But it is only the beginning of March and, with United still fighting on four fronts, there are still plenty of games for Rashford to catch up – particularly if he continues to contribute at his current rate.

And with Liverpool up next, Rashford will be hoping to keep up his remarkable level of form in the final third.

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