If Marcus Rashford is scoring like a man with ice in his veins for Manchester United at the moment, we really shouldn’t be too surprised.
Rashford’s latest cool finish for United in the Carabao Cup semi-final win against Nottingham Forest made it 10 goals in 10 games since he returned from the World Cup last month. No wonder manager Erik ten Hag says his player is unstoppable right now.
Before Wednesday’s first leg at the City Ground, Rashford revealed one of the secrets behind his success this season by sharing a picture of himself in a cryosauna alongside the one-word caption ‘recovery’.
Marcus Rashford has been using a cryosauna to help aid his recovery after matches
The Manchester United forward (right) has been on the best form of his career this season
The treatment seemed to pay off as the 25-year-old scored another sensational solo goal, rampaging from inside his own half through the Forest defence to open the scoring in United’s 3-0 win.
Sportsmail can reveal that Rashford is using the cryosauna at the exclusive CPASE (pronounced ‘space’) Health Club in Mobberley, Cheshire — near the £2.5million home he is building and Wayne Rooney’s £20m mansion — which was voted the best gym in the UK this month.
Cristiano Ronaldo posted a photo with his son Cristiano Jr before using the cryosauna at the gym last year, and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez is among the other Cheshire-based stars who have tried it. The players, many of whom prefer to keep their membership private, pay a £350 joining fee and £295-a-month to enjoy the ‘luxury holistic lifestyle’ on offer. The cryosauna alone is understood to cost in the region of £50,000.
Rashford was pictured braving a temperature of minus 113 Celsius, although it can reach as low as minus 140. The lowest temperature ever recorded at ground level on Earth was minus 89.2, so the toy polar bear peering over Rashford’s shoulder in the photo seems entirely appropriate.
Cristiano Ronaldo posted a photo with his son Cristiano Jr before using the cryosauna in 2022
Rashford is the man Erik ten Hag wants to build around at Manchester United
A cryosauna is different to a cryochamber because the person’s head stays outside the tank, which is then filled with freezing liquid nitrogen during the three-minute treatment.
A chamber, on the other hand, involves the nitrogen being pumped into the walls of the cabin which cools the air inside.
People are advised to use it at least one hour after working out to help muscle recovery and to allow the heart rate to return to normal. They are also told not to go in while sweating, or touch the sides of the tank, which can result in skin burns.
Jogging on the spot and breathing deeply can help people cope with the sub-zero temperatures, and it is recommended to exercise briefly on a stationary bike afterwards to increase the heart rate.
One to three sessions per week are said to be sufficient, and anyone using it more than that is advised to take a break of up to three months after 30 treatments.
It is claimed that the cryosauna improves an athlete’s performance by aiding with pain relief, muscle strength and rate of healing, as well as ‘boosting immunity, focus and mood’.
United are dependent on Rashford’s goals and he has revived a career that was flagging
Rashford has dedicated himself to improving every aspect of his game, including athleticism
In Rashford’s case, it has helped him bounce back from the worst season of his career to be in the form of his life. He was already on a high going into the World Cup after scoring eight goals for United before the break.
Another three followed for England in Qatar, against Wales and Iran, but it is Rashford’s form since then that has really caught the eye, taking him to 21 goals for club and country this season.
The confidence that deserted him last season is back in abundance, and he is playing with a directness that is terrorising defenders — as Forest discovered to their cost on Wednesday night.
There is no doubt that the one-on-one sessions with United’s new forwards coach Benni McCarthy at Carrington have paid dividends.
Most of all, though, Rashford is reaping the rewards of his dedication to getting in peak condition and staying there. He looks faster, leaner and stronger as a result.
The work he put in last summer has paid off spectacularly after he skipped a holiday to follow a strict fitness regime at Nike headquarters in Oregon, running up an elevated 200-metre track or with a 50kg weight and bungee cords attached to his back.
Rashford’s barnstorming run and finish gave Man United the lead in their win on Wednesday
The sports scientists there analysed his sprinting style and adjusted his posture, increasing his top speed from 21.31mph to 22.12mph, which takes him from 85th quickest in the Premier League last season to 10th quickest this term.
Ten Hag said earlier this week that he is ready to build his team around Rashford to make United the best in the world, and loan signing Wout Weghorst has come to appreciate his new team-mate’s importance even in the short time he has been at Old Trafford.
‘You see the great run he’s on, he’s delivering and every week you see it in training,’ said Weghorst yesterday. ‘He’s extremely important for us, and a massive part of the way we play.’
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
