Erik ten Hag answers criticism from the media following his treatment of Man United star



Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has replied to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.

Ten Hag benched Marcus Rashford for the match against Crystal Palace, claiming that he was only looking to rotate the squad and keep his players fresh.

However, Redknapp stated that the Man United manager has dropped him and something is going on behind the scenes between the manager and the English attacker.

Ten Hag spoke about the importance of the right lifestyle in the build up to the game against Palace, which forced Redknapp to question the actions of the manager.

The Man United manager was asked again about the criticism from the Sky Sports pundit ahead of his team’s Europa League encounter against FC Twente.

The Man United manager said, as reported by the Daily Mail:

‘I didn’t understand the criticism.

‘People are entitled if they want to, but what they are not entitled to do is to bring speculation. If I give an explanation they have to trust my words. If they don’t, that’s not right.’

Marcus Rashford was benched by Man United manager Erik ten Hag. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)
 

It was a surprise to see Ten Hag bench Rashford for the match at Selhurst Park, since the attacker had scored three goals in the last two games for the Red Devils.

Rashford scored for the first time this season in the win against Southampton and he followed that impressive performance by scoring twice against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

Man United star needs a consistent run in the team

Instead of giving his in-form attacker a run in the team, the Dutch manager made the unusual decision to bench him.

It came as a huge surprise for the fans and it must have been the same for Rashford.

The Red Devils need the attacker to be at his best if they want to achieve their targets this season.

Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions two seasons ago and that is the player Ten Hag and the fans are looking to see this season.