Ruben Amorim has encouraged Marcus Rashford to prove him that he wants to return to his best at Manchester United.

Rashford scored after 80 seconds in Amorim’s debut game as head coach against Ipswich on Sunday, but the game ended 1-1 at Portman Road.

After being left out of the England squad again, the 27-year-old jetted out to New York during the international break, missing Amorim’s arrival at United.

The former Sporting Lisbon manager refused to blame Rashford, but did say that he would have handled the scenario differently.

Rashford scored 30 goals in Erik ten Hag’s debut season at United in 2022-23, but that number dipped to eight last season, and he has four this season.

“I will try to help him,” said Amorim, who used Rashford as a centre forward in his 3-4-3 system against Ipswich. ‘That situation is not ideal for him, especially in a game like that. We had to kick under extreme pressure, and we had to kick the ball numerous times. It was like fighting two giants.

Ruben Amorim has challenged Marcus Rashford to prove him that he wants to return to his best.

Man United’s head coach committed to aid Rashford as he attempts to return to peak form.

Rashford scored the first goal under Amorim’s tenure at Manchester United, but the star has faced scrutiny.

‘We will attempt to find the best solution for him and the other players. But he has to be Marcus first and foremost in order to return to that moment, and he will have the support of the staff, the club, and the fans since he is a Manchester United supporter. But he must be the first to want it.

Amorim admitted that United’s lack of goals, with only 13 in 12 Premier League games this season, is concerning. 

‘Of course, that is a problem, but I believe we need to progress as a team because we have excellent players who can score so many goals,’ he said.

But you could feel it in the second half. We had possession of the ball, but we weren’t dangerous. 

‘Perhaps because we spent the week focusing on build-up and then the rest didn’t work.

‘We will strive to grow as a team, and Rasmus (Hojlund), Josh (Zirkzee), and Rash will score more goals; even Bruno (Fernandes) must score more! Amad (Diallo) has to improve near the goal. 

‘All these people need to improve, and we can score a lot of goals. We need to progress as a team, and these players are capable of scoring goals.