Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has been creating waves with his red-hot form, and football pundit Richard Keys believes the secret behind the Englishman's stellar show is a result of legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from the club.

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Since the Portuguese talisman departed from Old Trafford, Rashford has scored 16 goals from 17 appearances for Erik ten Hag's side. Keys believes that 'stroppy self-centred superstar' Ronaldo 'suffocated the life out of players like Rashford'.

Also read: 'Manchester United is coming back': Barcelona boss Xavi praises Ten Hag; earns fans' respect

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In 10 Premier League games, the 25-year-old forward has scored as many goals, which includes a brace against Leicester City on Sunday that took his tally for the season to a career-best of 24 goals.

📍M16 👉🏾🙎🏾‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/428e9BhS9u
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) February 20, 2023

Rashford's 'idol' Ronaldo, who now plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, left Man United in November on mutual consent after the five-time Ballon d'Or winner lashed out at the club's management and manager Ten Hag in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

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In a blog post, Keys claimed that Ronaldo's departure had influenced Rashford's progress. "If Ten Hag has done anything to help Rashford, it was in getting rid of Ronaldo," wrote the football pundit.

"Surely the debate about the stroppy self-centred superstar is now over? Yes - he (Ronaldo) got goals after re-signing for United, but rarely were they significant goals. He was a pain around the club, and he suffocated the life out of players like Rashford," Keys added.

Keys continued by noting that Rashford had only scored eight goals in 19 games while Ronaldo was starting, but after the Portuguese superstar left, he exploded with goals. "I've always said the Premier League needs a strong United. They're stirring. And that's good news," he added.

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Keys acknowledged in his blog post that he received criticism from colleagues for earlier bringing up Rashford's difficulties during the previous campaign.

"It was this blog that first pointed out his struggles on the pitch some 18 months ago. I got a fair bit of stick for it as well. Even a work colleague, whose opinions I value, said to me "I'm embarrassed about the way you've gone after Rashford". I took on board what he was saying, but I hadn't "gone after Rashford". I simply pointed out that his numbers and goals had fallen off a cliff," Keys noted.

Also read: How is Ronaldo's Man United exit linked to Rashford's stellar form? Garth Crooks explains

The football pundit also lauded Rashford as the most 'lethal' and 'consistent' striker in Europe, who is 'blasting United into this title race'.

Man United, led by Rashford, are three points behind second-place Man City, while they trail league leaders Arsenal by five points, who do, however, have a game in hand. The Red Devils will host Barcelona in their Europa League knockout playoffs second leg on February 24 (1:30 AM IST) after having drawn 2-2 at Camp Nou last week.

Will Rashford fire Man United to an emphatic win over Xavi Hernandez's men? Time will tell.