Manchester United's interim manager Ralf Rangnick was at a loss to explain Marcus Rashford's ongoing struggles for form after another ineffective performance in the FA Cup win over Aston Villa on Monday night.
United progressed to the fourth round following a 1-0 win at Old Trafford, courtesy of Scott McTominay's eighth-minute goal, although it was another unconvincing display by the hosts.
Among the United players to struggle was Rashford, whose second-half substitution was met by sarcastic cheers from some supporters, while other fans countered by serenading the England forward.
Rashford, 24, has only scored three goals since returning from a shoulder injury in October and managed just 10 goals in the last calendar year. He had been dropped for the Premier League matches against Burnley and Wolves, but returned to the side to face Villa after impressing on the training ground.
"Actually I don't know," said Rangnick when asked if he could explain Rashford's dip in form. "I think he's trying hard. In training he was doing well in the last couple of days, that's why he was quite rightly in the starting XI.
"I think in the first half we found him quite often, but we also tried to get him into the box. In the second half that was not that often the case and that's why at the end of the game I decided to make two changes with Anthony Elanga and Jesse Lingard.
"It was very important to progress into the next round. Yes [confidence is important] especially for strikers - it's important that they score goals on and off, that there are moments of success.
"Of course it would be good, for example, for Marcus if he could score a goal but as long as he's trying, as long as he's training well I don't see that much of a problem."
While United were not entirely convincing, Rangnick said there were many positives to take away from the game as the same two sides prepare for an immediate rematch in the Premier League on Saturday.
Man United v Aston Villa player ratings
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MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea 7. Saved well with his right hand from the excellent McGinn as Villa kept him busy and his United side had just 39% of possession. Kept only a second clean sheet in United’s last 19 home games. Reuters -
Luke Shaw 6. Strong in the first half. Heavy tackle after Watkins hit the post, then made a brilliant strike on 37 minutes. Yellow card as he blocked Ramsey and another Villa attack. AP Photo -
Victor Lindelof 6. Back after going off in a game with breathing difficulties five weeks ago. Terrible touch set up Watkins on 30 minutes, with the Swede let off big time after he was then beaten by Watkins. Steadied in the second, even if his team didn’t. PA -
Raphael Varane 7. Best United defender with decent positioning amid the chaos, but still cleared a ball towards Cash as Villa chased an equaliser. Who is going to be his regular partner? Getty Images -
Diogo Dalot 6. Ankle was heavily cut after a first half chance. Booked after 69 minutes as Villa pushed and pushed for an equaliser. Better in the second half. PA -
Scott McTominay 7. Fifth-minute shot was United’s first on target, then got between defenders to head his side ahead three minutes later. Busy in the middle and the best player in the first half. Got in front of a 31st minute shot and hit a sweet strike of his own on 44 minutes – he’s definitely shooting more. Man of the match. EPA -
Fred 6. Back in the side and set up McTominay with a curling cross for United’s first, then saw Buendia run past him to create a Villa chance on 13 minutes and thrice culpable in the first half as Villa has several chances – as they did in the second. United’s midfield far from dominant. EPA -
Mason Greenwood 5. Took players on from the right in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Passed ball to Fred to set up opener. Hit and miss. Ran at goal but shot when Rashford was waiting for the ball. Took several shots which went straight at Villa’s goalkeeper. EPA -
Bruno Fernandes 5. Tried but struggled in the first half, though he hit a 38th minute shot on target against the run of play. Shot miles over when set up by Cavani. Super ball to Rashford (one of three which he hooked forward) on 47 minutes, but still lost possession too easily. EPA -
Marcus Rashford 5. Initially better wide out left, both individually and for the team. Lively start after a run of poor form, but then failed to convince. Went for goal on 47 minutes after a run. Paused when a Greenwood shot was saved rather than following it up for a potential rebound. Looks thoroughly miserable. EPA -
Edinson Cavani 6. Shot on target after Fernandes set him up on 27 minutes. Some lovely control. Set up Fernandes on 44 minutes. Blocked by Ramsey – which meant a Villa equaliser was disallowed. Reuters -
SUB: Donny Van de Beek 5. On for Cavani after 71. Busied himself. Reuters -
SUB: Jesse Lingard N/A. On for Fernandes after 85. Lively. Getty Images -
SUB: Anthony Elanga N/A. On for Rashford after 85. Used his pace to take on Cash to a big roar from the crowd unnerved by how ropey United often look at home. EPA -
ASTON VILLA RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez 7 – Good reactions to make a couple of straightforward saves, but the Argentine was largely untroubled and cannot be faulted for conceding, standing no chance against McTominay’s winner. EPA -
Matty Cash 6 – Worked hard in defence and attack but looked tired in the latter stages of the game. Provided two vital interventions in the first half including a clearance off the line to deny United a second. AFP -
Ezri Konsa 7 – Plenty of energy in defence and attack. Provided a perfectly weighted header to assist Ings’ goal that was chalked-off. A remarkable run from the centre-back was followed by a less than convincing shot straight at De Gea after 64 minutes. PA -
Tyrone Mings 7 – A strong performance from the centre-back who provided much-needed physicality and strong tackles. Failed to track McTominay as he headed home the winner. PA -
Matt Targett 6 – A solid display marked by good attacking play down the left, but the full-back had moments where he struggled against the pace of Greenwood. Getty Images -
Douglas Luiz 6 – Pressed well in the middle but the Brazilian was arguably at fault for some loose passing, unnecessarily gifting the ball to a largely unthreatening United. Reuters -
John McGinn 8 – As usual the Scot battled hard for his team, and he looked to frustrate United in the middle of the park. After creating space for himself outside the box, he had a powerful shot blocked by De Gea after 19 minutes. Getty Images -
Jacob Ramsey 7 – The 20-year-old looked particularly dangerous after the break and his direct running troubled the United defence before being substituted after 86 minutes. EPA -
Emiliano Buendia 7 – Showed his quality with quick feet and superb skill. The Argentine looked busy and tried to make things happen for his side until he was replaced at 79 minutes. Getty Images -
Danny Ings 8 – Showed tireless and selfless work in attack. Almost rewarded for his positioning with an equaliser off his thigh at the hour mark but was denied by VAR. EPA -
Ollie Watkins 8 – A very lively performance from the forward who looked dangerous all night. He came close twice in the first half and was unlucky to be denied by the crossbar after 30 minutes. Reuters -
SUB: Anwar El Ghazi (Buendia, 79) N/A – Could only contribute a wayward shot in added time. Getty Images -
SUB: Jaden Philogene-Bidace (Ramsey, 86) N/A – Could not make an impact in the final minutes with the game out of reach. Getty Images
"We knew from the beginning that it will be a challenging game for us against a very flexible Villa side with their rotations that they're doing during the game all the time between their full-backs and their [number] eights," the German said.
"I think we saw quite a few pros today. I think we were better, we had a better structure. We also had good energy in the team, we moved the ball, in the first half especially, good within our team, with quite a few good diagonal balls.
"That was exactly what we intended to do against their rather central team and that was exactly the way how we created our first goal.
"But we're still struggling in the centre of the pitch. That's why Villa also had their moments where they could have scored."
