Maybe that need to fill Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring boots isn’t quite as desperate as they all thought.
And maybe if Gareth Southgate had given him more than five minutes against France, England’s World Cup would have been oh-so-different.
Anyone who witnessed Marcus Rashford’s magical performance certainly wouldn’t have been in a rush to disagree with either sentiment.
Yes, fair enough, they will point out it was “only” Burnley, how one swallow doesn’t make a summer – or winter – and all that.
But equally relevant is the old you can only beat what’s in front of you line. And Rashford didn’t just beat the Clarets, he thrashed them within an inch of their lives.
Tireless, terrific and a non-stop bundle of energy. So much for the suggestion those returning from Qatar duty would need a few weeks to get back up to speed.
Rashford hit the ground running, picked up pace as the evening went on and capped his wonderful display with arguably the finest goal of his life.
Never mind that it was against a Championship side, albeit one which is threatening to run away with that league.
It was a truly special, unforgettable moment of skill from a young man who has been transformed since Erik ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford. And then some.
United were already a goal to the good, yet in anything but the comfort zone when the ball fell to Rashford midway inside his own half 12 minutes after the break.
