Marcus Rashford can finally replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United

Thanks to a 1-0 victory over Benfica on Wednesday night, Manchester United have three wins from three Champions League games. They are top of the group and need perhaps one more point, against Basel, and they will be happily through to the next round. They have three games left to play, and two of those are at home, just as the autumn hits.

At the weekend, United faced opprobrium for showing no ambition against Liverpool. It retrospect, it might have turned out far worse as Phil Jones and Chris Smalling defended as well as you might reasonably expect them to. They were distracted and easily opened up. The rest of the side were poor in attack and Romelu Lukaku was isolated, and he missed United’s best chance of the game to win it. David de Gea was on hand to pull off some vital saves at close range. Had United lost, then Jose Mourinho would have deserved criticism for failing to try something else.

But he didn’t. He got the point he was happy with, just as he is always happy with a point at Anfield (except for special, Steven-Gerrard-slipping, epoch-defining matches). People were very cross in that way that football people get very cross: about something that doesn’t matter and in such a way that they can be absolutely ignored. Opinions that can be metaphorically bricked up and left to starve to death.

Against Benfica, it appeared that United were doing something similar. They were not interested, in the first half, in doing anything good. It was a risible performance by both sides, who struggled to find their rhythm, and were disjointed.

The second half was a little different. The speed of play picked up and Marcus Rashford was playing himself back into something like his best form after the international break. It must be difficult for the best English players, to have to stoop to the generally mediocre level of Gareth Southgate’s squad, and then, in Rashford’s case, return to the more sophisticated demands and expectations of Jose Mourinho and the rest of the United squad.

As Rashford grew into the game, he drew more of the ball and took more confidence. There were other shots and chances, but the change in attitude was crystallised by Rashford’s winner. Spotting the Benfica keeper off his line, he deliberately looped a firm, curling shot into the air and forced Mile Svilar backwards. A more experienced keeper may have been aware enough to tip the shot over the bar, but Rashford had smartly created enough momentum that the 18-year-old was unable to hold onto the ball without also dragging it back over the goal line. It was no piece of genius, but it was the sign of a rapidly improving player.

Rashford has never been a foolish player, but given his relatively young age and lack of experience, it was not immediately clear how quickly he would learn. He arrived to first-team action with no build-up – there were no highlights reels as prominently displayed as there had been for Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison’s reserve team exploits. But now we know, Rashford is capable of rapid improvement from one week to the next. When he’s not near the England team, at least.

All of this is a way to justify Mourinho’s conservative approach in the most recent matches, and to give it an optimistic spin. When Alex Ferguson had Wayne Rooney and, more importantly, Cristiano Ronaldo, he was happy to sit back and defend. He believed that with his favourite word, ‘focus,’ that the talent of his two special forwards was enough. They had the gumption to make the difference in tight games, with the rare chances that came to them, or that they would create. It was seldom enjoyable to watch, but it was effective.

Rashford is not as talented as Ronaldo. Lukaku does not have the same scope of inventiveness as Rooney did at the same age. There is no straight comparison to make. But Rashford is less distracted by diving and trickery, and Lukaku appears better able to take care of his body. The qualities are not exactly the same but the situation has some parallels.

Mourinho has yet to build his desired United side. He plainly wanted another defender, and perhaps another wide forward, but still he has made improvements from one season to the next. He will make mistakes, and United will disappoint, which is the nature of humanity and football. But with performances like the ones against Liverpool and Benfica, three things are apparent.

One, United are no longer in the habit of losing games. Two, the Ferguson template of miserly defending is slowly coming back. And three, Rashford and Lukaku have Mourinho’s trust and enough talent to become the new match-winners just as Ronaldo and Rooney once were.