Having already played Manchester United twice, Liverpool wouldn’t have expected to be coming up against Marcus Rashford again this season.
And yet, the Reds are about to come face to face with him again in what has been the strangest of seasons for the England international. With Ruben Amorim casting him aside at Old Trafford, Rashford has had to move away from his boyhood club for the first time at the age of 27, with Aston Villa providing him the chance to get some much-needed game time.
And as he comes up against Liverpool on Wednesday, there’s no doubt he would like nothing more than to throw a spanner into the Reds’ title charge. If not for the United fan inside him, then for the professional footballer whose career has gone so far off the rails that it’s almost impossible to predict what will be in store for him next season.
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At his best, Rashford has been one of the most dangerous forwards in the Premier League. Less than two years ago, he was coming off the back of his best season yet, having struck 30 goals in 56 appearances across all competition - a remarkable return for a player mostly utilized as a winger.
This season though, he has become the fall guy for United’s continued descent. Amorim has not missed any opportunity to publicly make an example of him, leaving Rashford with no other choice but to move on after continually being left at home. Ironically, his reputation is now perhaps stronger at Liverpool than it is at United. Just ask Arne Slot.
“I know Marcus Rashford because I follow the Premier League but the first time I faced him in real life was in the USA tour and I was really impressed with how fast he is,” the Liverpool boss said ahead of Wednesday's game.
“He has a nice height and is comfortable on the ball. I think he is a very good player and I hope he shows that at Villa. Of course I’m not hoping that he will do this tomorrow. I would be completely surprised if a player of that quality isn't going to show that in upcoming months. He is a very good player in my opinion.”
Slot would go on to add: “I’ve always said that United have a lot of quality players for a number of years now. Some of them show it at United now and some of them show it somewhere else. But Rashford is one of the best attackers that England has in my opinion, if he plays to his ability.”
Jurgen Klopp is a big fan of Marcus Rashford
And Slot isn’t alone in that view - his predecessor also held Rashford in the highest esteem. Jurgen Klopp was always forthcoming in his admiration of Rashford’s off-field endeavours, especially during the pandemic. But he also rated his ability on the pitch highly, using him as an example to his own players when Liverpool was struggling during the 2022/23 campaign.
He said: "Of course some players didn't reach the level that they have reached for us consistently. One of the best examples is Marcus Rashford, the season he had last year and this year. I'm not sure he can even explain it. That's how it goes. The time between these two extremes, you have to fight through it."
Just a few weeks later, ahead of Liverpool’s meeting with United at Anfield - which the Reds would go on to win 7-0 - Klopp was full of praise for Rashford again. "It is pretty much impossible to be positive about something at Manchester United when you are the Liverpool manager for seven-and-a-half years but I am really happy for Rashford,” Klopp said.
“He had a really difficult last year and was not performing at the level he is able to and I knew this would change again and now he is playing incredible, [with] his speed and technique, how calm he is in front of goal. He scores worldies, he scores the simple ones.”
Of course, Rashford has a long way to go before he reaches those levels again, and Liverpool will hope he doesn’t start doing so on Wednesday. Slot and Klopp have certainly proven themselves to be good judges of players though, so the Reds will have to be wary of a player with such a big point to prove.
