1 assist, 3 key passes: United star reminds Carrick of raw talent in epic World Cup classic

Manchester United had one player involved in the bronze medal match at the World Cup. Kobbie Mainoo reportedly injured his back in training before the match and was not even on the bench for the tie against France. Marcus Rashford Marcus Rashford got the nod from Thomas Tuchel and started on the left wing. The English forward’s future is still very much up in the air as his release clause has expired, with nobody offering the required amount. The 28-year-old is expected to return to pre-season training with Manchester United after his holiday, and boss Michael Carrick is said to be open to working with him. Match vs France Rashford only played the first 45 minutes of England’s outrageous 6-4 win over France to claim the bronze medal. Nonetheless, within these 45 minutes, England raced into a 4-0 lead at half-time, where Rashford was heavily involved. His biggest contribution was a clever assist for Bukayo Saka, when he kept his cool in the penalty area to pick out the Arsenal winger before he scored his opening goal. Rashford also missed a one-on-one chance and produced a stunning piece of skill to set himself up for a long-distance pile driver that was well stopped by Mike Maignan. In the match, he had one assist and completed three key passes. The winger also completed 90% of his passes but could not connect with either of his crossing attempts. Rashford was a real threat down the wing and completed two of his three dribble attempts successfully, not giving the French full-back time to rest. He made three progressive carries but also put in a bit of a shift defensively, winning two ground duels. Marcus Rashford stats vs France StatisticValue Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.51 Assists1 Expected assists (xA)0.07 Big chances created3 Key passes3 Crosses (accurate)2 (0) Accurate passes18/20 (90%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)10/12 (83%) Passes in own half (acc.)8/8 (100%) Total shots3 Expected goals on target (xGOT)0.31 Shots on target2 Shots blocked1 Big chances missed1 Touches34 Dribbles (successful)3 (2) Possession lost7 Total carrying distance98 m Carries10 Progressive carries3 Total progression75 m Progressive carrying distance57.7 m Longest progressive carry25.4 m Def. contributions0 Tackles (won)0 (0) Interceptions0 Clearances0 Blocked shots0 Recoveries1 Ground duels (won)4 (2) Dribbled past0 Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.