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Cape Town - Manchester United will reportedly hand striker Marcus Rashford a six-figure bonus if he manages to breach the 20-goal mark in the Premier League this season.
The England striker laid down a marker after scoring twice in Sunday's 4-0 opening weekend hammering of rivals Chelsea.
Rashford signed a lucrative new five-year deal last month worth a reputed £250 000-per-week, with a number of bonuses also included in the overall package.
The Red Devils are understood to have demonstrated their belief in his goalscoring talents by promising another significant windfall if he breaks the golden mark of 20 goals for this campaign.
Rashford is now the recognised frontline striker for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the recent £75 million departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan.
As such, United were able to use some of the cash they recouped on the Belgium forward to further incentivise Rashford, whose previous best scoring tally in the Premier League is a surprisingly low ten goals.
However, he spent a large portion of last season under the guidance of Jose Mourinho until the Portuguese tactician was sacked, and there was a shift of emphasis to attack after the Norwegian entered the dugout.
Early promise under the new regime evaporated but there appears an air of confidence around Old Trafford that, with new faces on board, they might be able to make a splash.
Returning to the top four will doubtless be the aim and Rashford's goals will be vital. The Wythenshawe-born ace, still only 21, has 29 goals in 112 top-flight appearances – and 47 in all competitions – but there seems every chance that his ratio will improve dramatically over the next few years.
Working under a former goalscorer like Solskjaer will certainly help, while also operating in a team that plays on the front foot will be important as the youngster looks to develop his game.
He has also bagged seven international goals from 32 outings, with Three Lions chief Gareth Southgate showing faith in Rashford since his 2016 debut.
It is open to debate just how much influence financial incentives have on players given they are already paid vast sums of money, and Rashford seems like someone who is just hungry to play as much as possible and contribute by doing what he does best.
His next chance to do that will be at Molineux on Monday night as United face a Wolves side who drew 0-0 with Leicester City in their first match of the campaign.
