Marcus Rashford has highlighted the 'value of mentality' to his stunning renaissance for Manchester United.
The forward has returned to his blistering best and then some this season, reaching a career-best 24 goals for the campaign in all competitions already – and scoring in 14 out of 18 appearances since the World Cup.
He'll hope to add to that tally in Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, as United aim to get their hands on their first silverware since 2016/17 – when they won the same competition and the Europa League under Jose Mourinho.
Rashford had not long broken through back then, and his current form must be evoking memories of those prodigious early days. In an interview with the Guardian, the 25-year-old explained some of the factors behind his incredible 2022/23 so far.
"I’m in the areas to score. It’s something I’ve been working on, and in the last few years I feel like even [in] the seasons where I’ve done alright, I could have added another 10 or 15 [goals].
"Football is probably 95% your mentality. That gives you the baseline to perform. There are a lot of players that have ability – that’s why they play at the top level – but what sets them apart is the mentality. I’ve been on both sides of it. I understand the strength of it and the value. I’m concentrating a lot more on keeping myself in that headspace and it’s needed in order to win games and trophies."
