Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial told to up their game by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United forwards Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have been told by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to up their game or he will seek to find replacements in the transfer market this summer. This season, both Rashford and Martial have each scored 19 goals, which is a good achievement but consistency is needed.

United are on a 14-match unbeaten run at this stage of the season, which is the best form the club has been in this season. United will return to Premier League action on Tuesday evening as they travel to the Amex to face Brighton and Hove Albion, needing another win to keep the pressure on Chelsea. Speaking about Martial and Rashford, Solskjaer said:

“We’re too far away from where we need to be and want to be.

“We have always got to look at improving and if they don’t improve, we might have to look somewhere else to get better because we have to be better.”

Solskjaer had to fight for his place in the squad under Sir Alex Ferguson during his playing career due to the many good attacking players at the club at the time. He would like Rashford, 22, and Martial, 24, to experience the same fear at the Theatre of Dreams during their careers, which should bring out the best in them. Solskjaer also said:

“If you think you’ve got a divine right to be playing every game and are doing so well that we’re not going to look for players to replace you, you’re in the wrong place.

“I’ve been here myself for so many years as a striker and Teddy Sheringham comes in, Dwight Yorke comes in, Ruud van Nistelrooy comes in, Wayne Rooney comes in.

“You need competition for places at Manchester United.”

Rashford and Martial are good players but knowing that you cannot be dropped because you are the only experienced attacking players at the club, at least before Odion Ighalo arrived in January, is not exactly the best thing to have at the club. If a player knows they are undroppable, it could contribute to more failure than success.

Solskjaer has Ighalo and Mason Greenwood to call upon at the present time if either Rashford or Martial, or both, are off key. However, Greenwood is in his first season as a regular first team player at the club and despite scoring 12 goals, he is not the player to solve the problem, at least right now it could be too much pressure for him. Solskjaer continued by saying:

“They’re good boys to talk to, discuss and sit with and they know that I trust them, they know I want the best for them.

“But they also know I’ve got to make decisions for the team and the club.”

Rashford was in good form this season then suffered an injury to his back which looked set to keep him out for the rest of the season. However, the coronavirus pandemic gave him time to recover before football returned and now he is on the way to getting back his form again. Rashford has improved for United each season and having scored 13 goals each season for the last two, has broken that by six this season. Solskjaer concluded by saying:

“Marcus is on his way to his best season ever, so I’m looking forward to him getting more minutes. He’ll definitely score soon.”

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I support Manchester United, the greatest English football team to have ever existed. Bruno Fernandes is the latest in a long line of players with great ability to play for the club. I idolised Bryan Robson, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Eric Cantona growing up.