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30 goals not enough! Marcus Rashford told to ‘raise the bar’ by Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag after posting personal best in 2022-23

Marcus Rashford hit 30 goals for Manchester United in the 2022-23 campaign, but Erik ten Hag has challenged him to “raise the bar”.

England international starred last season
Made a welcome return to top form
Challenge is to maintain those standards

WHAT HAPPENED? The England international forward enjoyed a welcome return to form last season following a testing spell that saw his high standards drop. Rashford was the standout performer for the Red Devils as they secured a top-four finish in the Premier League and brought a six-year wait for major silverware to a close with Carabao Cup glory. He has since committed to a new contract at Old Trafford, but Ten Hag is looking for even more from the 25-year-old in 2023-24.

WHAT THEY SAID: Ten Hag told reporters when asked what he is looking for from Rashford in the upcoming campaign: “For Rashy we expect him to raise the bar. He had a good season last year but that doesn't give guarantees for another great season. Everything has to be right, his base, his foundation, attitude, lifestyle etc. But also to work on his game, work on the way of play for himself and [within] the team. We are looking for goals and Rashy, in this moment, proved he has a very good goalscoring record. But for himself he wants to make the next step and score more goals than last season.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ten Hag endured a difficult start to his reign at Old Trafford, as United stumbled out of the blocks last season, but turned fortunes around and is now looking for further improvement. He added on collective ambition in Manchester: “We have to raise the bar but to do that is necessary because the competition is very strong. We have many competitors to battle for the top four positions in the Premier League so it is going to be a huge battle. It's not between two or three clubs, it's between seven, eight or nine who can all finish in the top four. It’s going to be a really exciting league I'm sure.”

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WHAT NEXT? United have one more outing, against Borussia Dortmund, to take in during their tour of the United States before returning to Europe and facing Lens and Athletic Club in the build-up to their Premier League opener versus Wolves on August 14.