Marcus Rashford dedicates his goal against Everton to his late cousin after breaking his eight-match drought… after being handed penalty duties in a bid to give the out-of-form forward ‘a confidence boost’

Marcus Rashford has dedicated his goal – netted during Manchester United‘s 3-0 victory against Everton on Sunday – to his late cousin in the wake of their ‘recent’ passing. 

The 26-year-old scored from the spot to double the away side’s lead after team-mate Alejandro Garnacho put United ahead with a glorious overhead strike, widely considered to be a contender for goal of the season. 

The England international has had a stuttered start to the season on the heels of a blistering season for his boyhood club during their 2022-23 campaign, which saw him score 30 goals across all competitions. 

Amidst an uneven spell of form impacting United itself, Rashford’s return this season has been more modest, with his tally just two with a further four assists. 

But the weekend’s fixture marked the end of an eight-game drought without yield as the forward was nerveless from the spot, and Rashford shared a poignant message on social media explaining why the goal might have meant more to him than usual. 

Amid a difficult moment in his personal life, the 26-year-old was nerveless as he took the kick

The player delayed joining up with Gareth Southgate’s England camp for personal reasons during the last international break

‘I would like to dedicate the goal yesterday to my cousin who recently passed away. GBNF (gone but not forgetten) (dove of peace emoji),’ the player wrote. 

Over 2,000 fans shared their support and well-wishes under the tribute, which included urgings for the forward to recover his form. 

Rashford was a surprise candidate to step up and take the kick, but was handed the opportunity by regular taker Bruno Fernandes in an effort to hand the player ‘a boost’. 

‘I felt Marcus needed confidence, needed his goal,’ the United captain shared after the final whistle. 

‘Marcus is an excellent penalty taker too. I’m sure he could score that penalty. It’s not about who takes it, it’s about scoring that penalty, and Marcus did it perfectly. Strikers, wingers, they want to score goals, they need to score goals.

‘That’s part of the game, it gives you a boost. I think after the penalty, Marcus was unstoppable, he could take on everyone,’ Fernandes added. 

Whether imbued with confidence from the penalty or not, Rashford continued to make light work of Sean Dyche’s embattled Everton side, setting up Anthony Martial for the visitors’ third with 15 minutes left of normal time. 

Supporters later poked fun at the player appearing to reunite with his former fiancee Lucia Loi before the game, with some suggesting it might be the reason behind his upturn of form. 

On the heels of a nervous 1-0 win against Luton Town, and significant defeats in their cup campaigns against Newcastle and Copenhagen, a decisive win on the road should further raise the side’s spirits ahead of a daunting trip to Galatasary to continue their star-crossed Champions League campaign on Wednesday. 

The England international was appointed the weekend’s taker by Bruno Fernandes (left)

Rashford has scored only twice in the Premier League this season in Man United colours

But stirrings of his return to form were undoubtedly overshadowed by Alejandro Garnacho’s stupendous bicycle kick to score United’s first

Former Man United player Roy Keane deemed Erik ten Hag’s men to have ‘a little bit of their swagger back, definitely’, and the Dutch manager will be keen to see his team kick on in Istanbul. 

United were the victims of an away smash-and-grab victory for the Turkish Super Lig side at Old Trafford in October, after the outfit were crippled by Casemiro picking up a red card with the score level at 2-2. 

After missing an earlier penalty, former Inter Milan man Mauro Icardi netted the winner ten minutes before the end of normal time.

The subsequent defeat against Copenhagen on the road prior to the last international break leaves United languishing rock-bottom of their Group A with three points.