The forward is in great shape.

It has long been known that the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo has a toxic effect on the game of the entire team and the statistics of specific players. Whatever Piers Morgan says, the Portuguese have been a problem and a burden that hinders development in recent years. Don't believe it? This is easy to prove with United striker Marcus Rashford as an example.

After the departure of the Portuguese, the English striker of the Red Devils has already scored 14 goals in all competitions - there were only eight of them before the World Cup. In the "without Ronaldo" format, Rashford has 15 goals in 25 matches, or a goal every 123 minutes.

On the contrary, if we consider the beginning of this season and last year, when the Englishman had to play with Ronaldo, he had 12 goals in 42 matches, or a goal every 204 minutes.

Other stats have also risen significantly: the number of strokes has increased from 1.7 to 3.2, number of shots on target - is from 1.2 to 2.9. When the Portuguese prima took the center forward, Marcus had to work more in defense, as Cristiano preferred not to do this.

The only thing that has decreased is the total number of touches of the ball, but at the same time, Rashford has become more likely to meet the ball in the opponent's penalty area. The Englishman has become more aimed at the goal, and all the creative work is done by Bruno Fernandes or Christian Eriksen (before the injury).

In a sensational interview, Piers Morgan did a disservice to the interviewee and, at the same time, immensely helped United striker Marcus Rashford. Since then, he has been ranked among this season's best players.

18.02.2023