Man Utd’s best player this season is blindingly obvious - and it could impact their summer transfer plans

At one end of Wembley there was ecstacy and exultation, a complete contrast to the anger and agony being shown in the other half of the home of football.

Just seconds earlier, Marcus Rashford had produced a bewildering moment of skill that had kickstarted a move than ended with the Manchester United forward taking a return pass from Wout Weghorst before crashing a deflected shot beyond Newcastle United goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Celebrations from the red half of Wembley coursed around the national stadium as Erik ten Hag’s men took one giant leap closer to securing the Carabao Cup, their first major honour since the former Ajax head coach took charge at Old Trafford last summer. Rashford drove away from the his team-mates and stood in front of Newcastle supporters, one finger pointed at his temple, stoic-faced, despite the undoubted joy that he must have felt deep inside.

For the United academy product, it was another moment of elation in a season that had kicked off just six months earlier with questions over his long-term future at Old Trafford. Some will credit Ten Hag with drawing improvement out of Rashford and giving him belief he can become the player many suspected he would become when he broke into the Red Devils side seven years ago. Some onlookers have also suggested England manager Gareth Southgate’s belief in the forward and his determination to bring out the best in Rashford at the World Cup Finals in Qatar last winter have reignited something inside of the Red Devils star.

In reality, both managers have probably played a significant role in what many believe to be the best career of Rashford’s career so far. Yet those close to the forward will state it is Rashford himself that has instigated some staggering statistics that have helped his side claim one major piece of silverware and a place in next season’s Champions League.

After scoring his first goal of the season in a 2-1 home win against Liverpool in August, Rashford has gone on to score 30 goals and provide 11 assists in 54 appearances in all competitions for United during the campaign. Those statistics are boosted by the three goals in five appearances he racked up for England during their run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, and could have been further enhanced had Southgate given the forward more than five minutes to make an impression in his side’s last-eight defeat against eventual runners-up France.

Rashford’s statistics compare favourably to a whole host of leading Premier League strikers, despite the fact the United man has spent the majority of the season playing on the left-hand side of a front three, rather than in the main role of Ten Hag’s attacking setup. There seems a clear determination to strengthen at the top end of the pitch and provide the Red Devils boss with a genuine number nine as he looks to build on the foundations he has put in place during his first season in charge.

Rashford’s performances this season mean that he will be a key factor in any recruitment process, with a leading frontman needing to look after his own output, as well as bringing the best out of his partners in the United attacking trio. That will provide a significant challenge for the United hierachy as they navigate what is sure to be a highly-competitive summer transfer window.

Links with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Benfica star Goncalo Ramos and Juventus frontman Dusan Vlahovic are not without foundation and they show exactly where the main crux of United’s transfer business will come during the close-season. But perhaps bringing in a striker closer to home and one that is well-versed in dove-tailing with Rashford could provide Ten Hag with something truly special when his second season at Old Trafford gets underway in August.

United have been long-term admirers of Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane and he is believed to be high on their list of priorities for the summer. The benefits of landing the England captain are all too obvious. He is Premier League-ready, and has the dual motivation of having a genuine chance of landing the first major silverware of his career and being able to continue his push to become the Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer.

Yet the greatest benefit of completing a move for Kane is drawing more improvement out of Rashford and enabling the academy graduate to continue the upward trajectory he is currently experiencing as he targets more silverware with his boyhood club.