Marcus Rashford may need to get his season started soon in order to be of use to Manchester United on Monday against Wolves. Old Trafford will play host to the first match of the Premier League season for the club managed by Erik ten Hag, but there are still reservations about the Dutchman’s ability to lead an attack.

Marcus Rashford will feel less pressure to score goals now that Rasmus Hojlund has joined Manchester United from Atalanta in a deal worth £72 million.

However, due to a back injury that the 20-year-old received while participating in pre-season with Atalanta, he will be sidelined for the first few weeks of his maiden season in the English Premier League.

Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Alejandro Garnacho are the players that Ten Hag has available to choose from in order to fill out his front three. The status of Anthony Martial’s health is currently uncertain.

In the 2017–18 campaign, the trio of Antony, Sancho, and Garnacho scored a total 20 goals across all competitions, which is one goal less than Rashford’s career high of 30 goals.

Due to a lack of goals in his attack, Ten Hag needed Bruno Fernandes to chip in with 14 goals on top of his 13 assists to move United to third place and win the Carabao Cup.

However, his record against Wolves suggests that United may fall short of an attacking threat in their season opener at Old Trafford.

Fernandes has scored in his past three games for United, capping off the season with a flourish.

 

But, unlike Wolves, the Red Devils captain has only faced West Ham United ten times without scoring.

Ten Hag will be anxious to start his second season as manager with a statement win against a club in shambles, so Fernandes’ hoodoo could be a concern.

Wolves fired head coach Julen Lopetegui with only a few days of preseason left, replacing him with former AFC Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil.

The Molineux team is likely to shut down against United, which could be a concern due to a lack of goal threat.

Garnacho is anticipated to play a larger role this season after breaking through last term, which will boost productivity in front of goal.

But Antony and Sancho have a big year ahead of them.

Antony has shown early promise since joining from Ajax for £85 million last summer, with eight goals and three assists. But those figures must rise if he is to be considered worthy of the price tag.

Meanwhile, Sancho is in his third season at Old Trafford and has yet to show the form that drew United to pay £72 million for his services in 2021.

Monday would be an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that the 2023/24 season will not be simply about Rashford.