It is not difficult to imagine the various places the Marcus Rashford of last season might have been as Christian Eriksen's cross teased its way towards the back post.
On the edge of the box? On his heels? On the bench? This, however, was Rashford reborn, revitalised under Erik ten Hag and perhaps now on the verge of a recall to Gareth Southgate's England squad on the eve of the World Cup.
Southgate was here at Old Trafford watching on as Rashford darted in, climbed above Thilo Kehrer and headed powerfully past Lukasz Fabianski.
The header was one thing, an area of Rashford's game Ten Hag revealed afterwards he has been urging the forward to develop, but the desire - even desperation in the run and leap said more about the way the Englishman has rediscovered the drive and directness that once defined him.
This story is from the October 31, 2022 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the October 31, 2022 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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