Van Persie: Rashford is on a mission
As a former Manchester United marskman of the highest calibre, Robin van Persie is well judged to gauge how Marcus Rashford is performing in 2022/23.
The Dutchman believes the homegrown talent is in the "form of his life" and playing with such joy that it is really coming across in his displays under Erik ten Hag.
With 27 club goals to his name in all competitions this term, the connections he has on the pitch are evident, including a special relationship with creator-in-chief Bruno Fernandes.
And van Persie has no doubts that Rashford is determined to keep scoring, and getting better and better.
"Yeah, you can see he’s having maybe the best form of his life," van Persie said of Marcus, during an exclusive interview with club media. "The way he plays, he looks very fit. He looks very focused.
"He looks to have fun. He’s on a mission now. Everyone knew from an early age, because he broke through from a very early age, everyone knew how good of a player he was - and still is of course - but now you see that everything clicks, and that is partly down to him, but as well a coach, and, as well, your team-mates.
"If you look at the connection he has with Fernandes for example, that is something unique. You only have that connection with a few players throughout your career. And he has that now. He is like going from strength to strength."
Rashford sustained a knock during the Emirates FA Cup quarter-final win over Fulham and was forced to pull out of the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
However, hopefully, he will be fit again soon and looking to fire the Reds to more glory this season.
"From a coach's point of view, it looks really fun to work with a player like Rashford," added van Persie. "But it goes both ways. I’m sure Rashford is really happy with Erik [ten Hag] as well.
"You can see he’s growing, he’s confident; with him, you know almost every game he plays, it doesn’t matter against who, that he will score a goal or be decisive in most matches.
"From a fan point of view, it is fun to watch as well, because this is the Rashford we would like to see every week, every three or four days, so he is bringing a lot of joy."