During the stoppage to check the goal-stopping bounce off Joshua Zirkzee, Danny Welbeck sidled over to the touchline and caught the eye of Ruud van Nistelrooy. The pair amiably embraced.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
Welbeck and Van Nistelrooy both feature in the Manchester United: Play Like Champions skills DVD that the club released in 2003. Welbeck, 12 at the time, features prominently in a clip with Roy Keane and also learns the ropes from Van Nistelrooy.
For the sixth time at the weekend, Welbeck bit the hand that once fed him. It is 10 years ago next week that Welbeck left the United nest for Arsenal and he has now scored against his boyhood club six times.
His tap-in on Saturday was the 100th of his career. Welbeck’s first, a spectacular piledriver against Stoke City at the Stretford End, was in November 2008.
Goals have never come naturally for Welbeck but he has had a quietly creditable career: a clean sweep of domestic honours and appearances at a European Championship and a World Cup. He is into his fifth year with Brighton.
There are parallels with Marcus Rashford. Welbeck tallied one goal fewer than Rashford last term. Rashford’s last was on St Patrick’s Day.
Rashford was the first tactical removal against Brighton in the 64th minute and that was overdue. He was flagged offside twice, strayed offside on other occasions, and struggled to get involved in United’s fluid first-half build-ups.
There were times where Rashford made the run and teammates failed to pick the pass. Rashford’s infamous body language was visible early on and he later admonished Andre Onana for ostensibly delaying a clipped pass. Rashford was offside twice for his disallowed goal: for Noussair Mazraoui’s blocked cross and then the Bruno Fernandes centre he converted on the rebound. Van Nistelrooy sympathetically wagged his finger before the Video Assistant Referee confirmed what Van Nistelrooy must have known.
Long before football’s robotisation, Van Nistelrooy was a master of manipulating the offside law. He would linger in an offside position when he was deemed “passive” and move into an onside and active position to put away the chance.
From offside to onside: Van Nistelrooy seconds before scoring for the Netherlands at Euro 2004
From offside to onside: Van Nistelrooy seconds before scoring for the Netherlands at Euro 2004
It came to a head in January 2004 when Van Nistelrooy secured three points for United in a slugfest with Southampton. A Gen Z fan would watch it now and wonder what all the fuss was about. At the time, Southampton manager Gordon Strachan was spitting feathers and a meeting was arranged to clamp down on the apparent abuse of the offside rule.
Van Nistelrooy was canny. A better example is his poacher’s strike for the Netherlands against Czech Republic at Euro 2004. Unfortunately for Rashford, this is an era of the toenail offside and the advantage is with the defender.
The concern with Rashford is he turns 27 on Halloween and still plays like a rookie. He was not this naive during his teenage years and his performances this month bear the hallmarks of a forward without a goal in more than five months.
“He’s not a youngster any more,” Alan Shearer said on Match of the Day. “He has to understand the position and look across the pitch when you can see the whole of it. You shouldn’t be offside then.”
Rashford has not scored since March
Rashford’s two missed chances against Manchester City in the Community Shield could be discounted. He was in the right place, at least.
More concerning was against Fulham, when he passed up a one-on-one with Bernd Leno and played the ball behind the square Alejandro Garnacho. Rashford’s performance level against Brighton then plummeted. Erik ten Hag had an easy choice when he finally sent on Garnacho.
Ten Hag has explained the rationale for using Garnacho as a substitute so far this month (he did not have a full pre-season) but it does not wash. Garnacho scored United’s goal against City, created their goal against Fulham and would have had another at Brighton but for Zirkzee.
Kobbie Mainoo had a more taxing summer than Garnacho, who played 24 minutes at the Copa America. Mainoo also returned to Carrington later yet has started United’s three matches. United’s midfield is barren beyond Mainoo whereas United have four competing wingers with Garnacho who all travelled on the pre-season tour.
Garnacho was denied his second goal of the season at Brighton
Garnacho was denied his second goal of the season at Brighton
“We have a squad, from the squad we will pick the best team,” Ten Hag said after the defeat at Brighton. Garnacho is United’s best winger and in their best team. He started 38 successive games last season when he was 19 and their player of the year.
Liverpool return to Old Trafford on Sunday after their charitable appearances at the ground in March and April. Rashford’s last goal was in the former and he has struck more times against Liverpool than any other club, bar Leicester.
His career-best 2022-23 campaign was sparked by a winner against Liverpool in United’s third fixture. If history is to repeat itself then it should be from the bench.
After Rashford sliced Garnacho’s cross against the post in the Community Shield, Van Nistelrooy emerged into the technical area and encouragingly clapped him. Every time Van Nistelrooy put his hands together, it sounded an alarm for a player who has to be dropped this weekend.
