MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Marcus Rashford has a habit of starting well under Manchester United managers. In his first Premier League appearance, he scored goals for Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ruben Amorim. And after scoring two goals in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Everton, it is now three from two starts for his new Portuguese coach.

“A new coach is always like that,” Amorim said. “But there is so much to improve. He can do much better. We all need to improve. But the players did a great job.”

Rashford is in a different situation to most of his United teammates. While many of them struggle to prove they deserve a place under Amorim, Rashford, who has a lucrative contract worth over £300,000 a week until 2028, is almost certain of his future at Old Trafford.

With that in mind, while it’s up to the other players to show they can do it with Amorim’s new tactical setup, to a certain extent it’s also up to Amorim to make it work for Rashford.

The England international started as a central striker in Amorim’s first game at Ipswich Town. He was rested for the midweek win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League and returned to the team against Everton as one of two inside forwards.

Rashford’s first goal was a bit lucky as his shot hit Jarrad Branthwaite in front of Jordan Pickford and deflected into the net. The second, however, was Rashford at his best. Direct running, lightning-fast movement and a concise finish.

“As individuals, we all want to get back to our best and then continue to improve so that you do the right thing even in the bad moments,” said Rashford. “The more we get used to it, the stronger the connection becomes. He (Amorim) came at a busy time and hopefully the connection continues to build and grow. He brought a great attitude and that is passed on to the players.”

For Joshua Zirkzee, however, the challenge is to prove that he is good enough to compete.

Like Rashford, he scored twice against Everton – his first United goals since his first against Fulham in August. It’s been a difficult few months for the Dutchman. There were doubts about the wisdom of signing him from Bologna in the summer and there was already speculation that he could return to Italy in the January transfer window.

Zirkzee hardly seemed to understand Amorim’s demands against Ipswich, so there was an element of surprise that he was selected for the starting XI against Everton.

If it was a sign of blind faith from Amorim, then Zirkzee paid it back. His first goal was thanks in large part to the selflessness of Bruno Fernandes, who canceled out the chance while Pickford was stranded. Zirkzee’s second goal was similar, but it came from Amad, who once again excelled in an unusual full-back role.

“I need all players to overcome all games and he (Zirkzee) is one of them,” Amorim said. “I just try to help my players and put them in a good position according to their characteristics.”

“Josh did a great job. He scored two goals and that is always important for confidence. More important than the performance is that he fought in every situation. So it was a good day for him and for our team.”

Rashford and Zirkzee will grab the headlines for their goals, but it was a result that relied on both Fernandes’ ingenuity and Amad’s ferocious pressing. Both were excellent as United recorded their biggest league win since beating Leeds United 5-1 in August 2021 under Solskjaer.

Nevertheless, Amorim doesn’t get carried away. He has warned United fans that there will be a lot of “suffering” in the first few weeks of his reign, and there was a lot of that here.

play

Amorim won’t recognize win against Everton: “I’m very lucky”

Ruben Amorim says Manchester United’s big win over Everton was down to the performances of its players and not its management.

Everton, who have won just two league games all season, were the better side for much of the first half and probably should have been ahead when Rashford opened the scoring.

“In the first 32 minutes I thought we were a good team and looked progressive,” said Everton coach Sean Dyche. “We played well and opened them up. One mistake led to another mistake and before you know it you’re 2-0 down. We didn’t take advantage of the moments. Fair play to them for taking advantage of our mistakes.”

Amorim admitted afterwards that he felt Everton “deserved better” but there is no escaping the fact that momentum is building after two wins and a draw from their opening three games.

He faces his first real test of his tenure at the Emirates against Arsenal on Wednesday. If he wins, he’ll have a hard time containing his excitement.