Marcus Rashford is set to hand Manchester United a timely boost for the trip to face Leicester City on Saturday, ahead of what is a pivotal run of games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
The 23-year-old is yet to feature so far this season after undergoing shoulder surgery during pre-season, having delayed the procedure in order to be a part of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man Euro 2020 squad over the summer.
That decision seemingly backfired as he would only play a bit-part role in England’s surge to the final, with his only real impact coming in the showpiece in which he was one of three players to miss a spot-kick in the shootout defeat, with Rashford since suggesting he should have had the surgery earlier and missed the tournament.
His lack of involvement came following what was a disappointing end to the season for the Manchester United man, as a heavy workload – as well as both shoulder and ankle injuries – seemingly took its toll, illustrated by his weary display in the Europa League final defeat to Sevilla.
A few months on, he looks finally set to return to action, having returned to full-contact training in recent weeks, with the Telegraph reporting that he is set to feature for the first time this season against Leicester on Saturday.
The report says that Rashford is ‘pain free’ for the first time in almost two years, with the recent surgery rectifying his long-standing shoulder issue, while his three-month absence has also allowed time for his niggling ankle problem to heal.
The forward recently scored twice in a behind closed doors victory over Blackburn Rovers and has seemingly seen no adverse reaction.
That return to action will no doubt be a welcome boost for Solskjaer and co, with Rashford having previously been a pivotal figure for his manager since the Norwegian took charge back in December 2018.
The Red Devils are seemingly in need of a boost after a difficult last few weeks that has seen them win just two of their last six games in all competitions in which they have come under fire for some lacklustre performances.
They also face the prospect of a pivotal run of fixtures, with successive league games to come against Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as two crucial Champions League meetings with Atalanta.
Preparations for those crunch clashes have, however, been hampered by injuries to both Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, with the two centre-back’s set to be absent for the trip to the King Power Stadium at least.
