Manchester United's 'Potential' Cristiano Ronaldo Successor Undergoes Striker Lesson, Report Says

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have found a weak point in one of his star forwards, a report suggests.

Marcus Rashford has continued where he left off last season in the English Premier League. The English striker has now scored a total of seven goals in 20 appearances in the current campaign. However, Solskjaer still wants to better Rashford’s game given the youngster’s important role in the club’s attack.

The Norwegian boss has now given “additional finishing lessons” to Rashford after concerns over the striker becoming “too predictable,” ESPN reported, citing unnamed sources.

Based on the Manchester United coaching staff’s assessment, despite having been able to maintain his fine form, Rashford has been viewed as “over-reliant” on his ability to score goals with his strength. Red Devils coaches believe that the youngster could become more deadly in scoring if he manages to learn other ways to get past goalkeepers.

The report added that one of Solskjaer’s proposed techniques was through “controlled finishing by passing the ball into the corners of the goal,” suggesting an area that is beyond the reach of goalkeepers.

In his young career, Rashford has become known for his ability as a striker. But for former Man United striker Louis Saha, it is not the 23-year-old’s best attribute at the moment.

According to Saha, Rashford is definitely a “world-class forward” who even has the “potential” to become like Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.

“Marcus Rashford is a world-class forward but he isn’t yet a world-class striker,” Saha examined. “Rashford still has the youth and the potential to do it as Cristiano [Ronaldo] started in a certain position and now is the best striker you can ever imagine.”

“Rashford can do whatever you want from him,” he added. “He can defend when you need to and he can actually attack and create his own goals, score free kicks. He's a top forward. He's a top forward.”

After his sensational goal in United’s win over Liverpool, Rashford limped his way out of the field and appeared to have incurred a knee injury.

Fortunately for the Red Devils, there was nothing serious about the injury and Solskjaer has already confirmed Rashford’s availability prior to the match against Sheffield United on Thursday.

“He trained this morning,” the Manchester United boss said at his pre-match press conference Tuesday. “He is available for selection. He tweaked his knee a little bit. We are looking strong, which is a good place to be.”

Rashford is also expected to play when United visits Arsenal at Emirates Stadium Saturday.