The England international, whose form has been under constant scrutiny over the past two years, curled a pinpoint right-footed strike into the bottom corner to end his goal drought and secure United a much-needed win.

And he has received praise from manager Erik ten Hag and goalkeeper Onana, who highlighted how much can come from a reborn Rashford.

“He had a tough season last year and wasn’t at his best,” Onana said live on TNT Sports. “But today he showed himself, he showed that he is a great player and one of the best in the world.

“That’s football and life, sometimes you struggle and you encounter difficulties. It’s not how you fall, it’s how many times you get up.

“Today he scored an important goal for us, hopefully he will score many more. I am very happy for him – he really needed this goal.”

Ten Hag was also full of praise and supported Rashford after his first goal of the new season.

“Very important. We spoke about it before the game and it’s so huge for him, for any striker, that you want to be on that goalscoring list at the start of the season,” the United manager told TNT Sports.

“Now that he has his first, I’m sure there will be more to come.”

Last season Rashford scored just eight goals in all competitions, having scored 30 the year before.

This dramatic decline led to questions about his future, discussions about his mentality and his ability to perform consistently at the highest level.

He was left out of England’s squad for Euro 2024 and again appeared to lack confidence as the new Premier League season began.

“He’s the most talked about player in the Premier League,” Peter Crouch said on TNT Sports before the match.

“It must be frustrating for him – it’s tough for him after that season where he scored 30 goals but he played centrally. He’s moved to the left, he’s adaptable, but there’s no doubt he’s not a confident Marcus Rashford, and a confident Marcus Rashford would start for England.

“Unfortunately his form has been so inconsistent over the last two years, which is a shame to see. He needs to get back to the level he was at as soon as possible.”

Rashford looked clearly relieved after his long-awaited goal and the hope for United is that he can return to his former self this year.