Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has disclosed that he allowed Marcus Rashford to take a penalty in the 3-0 victory over Everton as a means of boosting his teammate’s confidence. Despite a stellar goal-scoring season in 2022/23, where Rashford netted an impressive 30 goals across all competitions, he faced a challenging start to the current campaign. Prior to the Everton match, Rashford had struggled, securing only one goal in his first 16 appearances and enduring criticism for his overall performance.
Although Rashford’s display against Everton didn’t receive high marks, earning a 5/10 in 90min’s player ratings, the England international did find the back of the net once again by calmly converting a second-half penalty in the eventual 3-0 triumph.
Rashford’s unexpected decision to take the penalty raised eyebrows, especially with regular spot-kick taker Bruno Fernandes on the field at the time.
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In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Captain Fernandes explained that he entrusted Rashford with the penalty kick to boost the forward’s goal-scoring confidence:
“I felt Marcus needed a little bit of confidence. He needs his goal. Marcus is an excellent penalty taker too, I was 100% sure he could score that penalty. It’s not about who takes it, it’s about scoring the penalty, and Marcus did it perfectly.”
“I think obviously strikers and wingers need to score goals; it is part of their game. Marcus was unstoppable and he could take on everybody. Marcus last season was amazing, so expectations have been higher, and it is just about getting those goals back.”
Rashford will be aiming to build on his goal against Everton when he returns to Premier League action against Newcastle United next Saturday evening.