Rashford has no United goal in eight games since Barça, yet 7 in 20 vs. Liverpool awaits

Marcus Rashford has played eight games for Manchester United since coming back from his Barcelona loan, and he has not scored in any of them. The next game he is aiming for is the one opponent he has hurt more than almost anyone: Liverpool, against whom he has seven goals in 20 appearances, at Anfield on Nov. 22.

BBC Sport reported Wednesday that the 29-year-old forward hopes to be available for the trip to Liverpool after the international break. Rashford has missed United's last six games. The problem started as a hip injury at the World Cup, was aggravated in the opening weeks of the season and spread to his groin.

Last week he traveled to Dublin with a member of United's medical staff to see a specialist, and a new recovery program is now in place, according to BBC Sport and The Telegraph. The Telegraph's James Ducker said the club hopes he can be back for Anfield.

The detail that explains the timeline is how long he tried to play through it. Rashford featured in United's first six Premier League games, the Carabao Cup tie against Brighton and the Champions League loss to Atlético Madrid in mid-October. That is the eight-game stretch without a goal, and it came while the injury was getting worse, not better. He even offered to sit on the bench for last month's defeat at Chelsea, but the club decided the risk of further damage wasn't worth it.

The contrast with his record against Liverpool is hard to ignore. Seven goals in 20 games against United's biggest rival is a better rate than he has managed this season by a distance, and it comes from the begining of his career at Old Trafford through the years after.

It also matters because of what he left behind in Spain. SportsView, citing his season at Barcelona, credited him with 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions on loan. United brought back a forward coming off a productive year, and so far the hip has meant they haven't seen that version of him.

United need it. They enter the break 18th with eight points, with no Premier League win since beating Ipswich in August, after twice coming back from two goals down to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa. Liverpool, meanwhile, steadied themselves with a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace and sit fourth.

There is another layer. The Guardian reported Wednesday that United have a framework agreement with Mauricio Pochettino to become head coach if Michael Carrick is fired, and BBC Sport said it is anticipated Pochettino will be in charge before the Anfield trip. That would make a fit Rashford one of the few attacking options with a proven record in that fixture for a coach's first game.

The open question is fitness, not form. Nobody has put a firm date on his return, and "hoping to be available" is not the same as starting. But if the new program works over the next 11 days, United's most reliable scorer against Liverpool could walk into Anfield still looking for his first goal of the season.