Marcus Rashford has been nursing a hip injury since the World Cup, according to Sky News, with the Manchester United winger continuing to receive daily treatment on the issue. The injury forced him to withdraw from England's autumn fixtures, and since then he has played just a single minute of Premier League football.
Rashford's second spell at Old Trafford began quietly after his permanent move to Barcelona failed to materialize. He made his understated return against Ipswich Town, the only match United have won with him involved, and he is yet to score or assist a goal in United colors this season. Michael Carrick did not use him at all as United chased a winner at Elland Road on Sunday.
Carrick addressed the injury directly, saying, "He had the slight injury where he had to pull out of England, and we've managed that a little bit."
Rashford is not alone in struggling for United this season. Bryan Mbeumo is the only United player to have scored in more than one Premier League match so far, and Amad Diallo is still waiting for his first significant impact. Benjamin Šeško has also been hampered by injury, while Matheus Cunha has joined Rashford among Carrick's substitutes in recent tactical changes. Bruno Fernandes, who created 136 chances last season — 89 more than any other United player — has managed only three more created chances than Rashford this term, having added just one goal or assist since his hat trick against Ipswich, which came against Sabah FK.
Despite the lack of direct goal involvement, Rashford has taken 17 shots across all competitions this season for an expected-goals tally of 1.92, with only three Premier League players having taken more shots without scoring. Carrick pointed to that underlying output, saying, "Marcus has done a lot of good things." He added, "He's doing some good things, and it's not quite getting that break, putting himself in good positions and having some good opportunities. He had the one the other night where maybe he'd feel he could have done better with. He's in there to make a difference."
Carrick continued, "If you keep doing the right things, you get the rewards in the end. As long as he keeps doing that, he'll be O.K."
Rashford has previously described how he responds to difficult spells, saying, "Every single time I've been down, physically or mentally, I always feel like that's when I turn it around and play my best football."
