It has not been the best of starts for Manchester United this season.
The FA Cup Champions kicked off their Premier League campaign with a professional 1-0 win over Fulham at home but have since followed up that good result with back-to-back defeats. First, Erik ten Hag's side lost away to Brighton & Hove Albion before then falling to a catastrophic 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool.
There were several poor performers in the last two games, but one who stood out was Marcus Rashford, whose struggles from last year appear to have carried over to this season.
Unfortunately for the Englishman, the club now have a plethora of attacking options to choose from should his form remain poor, including one exciting prospect who is now worth more than him.
Rashford's United career
Okay, so before we look at Rashford's dismal form over the last year or so, it's important to remember that during his tenure at the club, he has enjoyed periods of incredible form, including in Ten Hag's first campaign in charge.
In that season, the Englishman scored a remarkable 30 goals and provided ten assists in just 56 appearances, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 1.4 games for the Dutchman.
This exceptional output earned the 26-year-old his new contract, which sees him earn an eyewatering £375k-per-week when taking into account bonuses, although based on his performances since signing said deal, he might not have earned many of those.
Appearances
406
Goals
131
Assists
67
Goal Involvements per Match
0.48
For example, in 43 games last season, he could only muster eight goals and six assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every 3.07 games, and he's yet to score or assist a goal in four games this year, including the Community Shield.
So, with such a dramatic downturn in form, it's not all that surprising to see his valuation come down, with FOTmob currently pricing him at just €65m, which is about £55m, or a few million less than one of his younger teammates.
Rasmus Hojlund's valuation in 2024
Yes, the attacker in question is United's most expensive signing from last summer: Rasmus Hojlund, who, according to FOTmob, is now worth €70m, which converts to about £59m, or £4m more than Rashford's current valuation.
Now, the first thing to address is that, yes, this valuation is about £13m less than the total fee the club may have to pay for the Dane in the long run, but that fee was always too high for a 20-year-old striker and potentially gave the wrong impression to fans that he was already the finished article, which he wasn't and still isn't.
However, despite a slow start last season, the "exceptional talent", as dubbed by Harry Maguire, ended the campaign with a respectable tally of 16 goals and two assists in 43 appearances, which equates to a goal involvement every 2.38 games.
Appearances
32
21
34
43
Goals
5
12
10
16
Assists
0
4
4
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.15
0.76
0.41
0.41
It isn't an earth-shattering return, but when you consider that he is still only 21 years old, he's had to battle with injuries, and his successful track record with the other clubs he's played for, it is encouraging.
Ultimately, it may be a few years before Hojlund can replicate the sort of season Rashford had in 22/23, but given his potential and the early signs, United have a special striker on their hands, and it makes sense to see his valuation move past the Englishman on the basis of the last year or so.
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