.png)
1 month ago
14 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag dropped Marcus Rashford from the starting line up for their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace.
It came as a huge surprise since Rashford had scored three goals in the last two matches for the Red Devils and was finally starting to regain his long lost form.
Rashford scored against Southampton in the Premier League last weekend and twice against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Ten Hag still decided to bench the English attacker, raising eyebrows among the fan base and the media.
Suggestions have been made whether something has happened behind the scenes between the Man United manager and Rashford.
However, Fabrizio Romano has put an end to any such rumours circulating in the media, and revealed that Ten Hag’s decision was only made to keep the players in the squad fresh.
Speaking on his Youtube show, Romano said:
“At Man United, when they saw those comments in public, in important media before the game, they were quite surprised, because really nothing happened. They made that decision for Marcus Rashford because they wanted to rotate. They wanted the players to be fresh. They wanted to change a bit, also with three games in one week.
“And so this was the idea, but there was never any problem, never any issue. So all these suggestions made Erik ten Hag really, really nervous. He didn’t accept that.
Marcus Rashford was left on the bench against Crystal Palace by Man United manager Erik ten Hag. (Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)

“I can guarantee that also internally, Manchester United, they confirmed the same. So it’s not just the manager or staff’s point of view, also the club’s point of view is that Rashford didn’t do anything wrong. Otherwise, he was not going to be part of the squad.”
The decision to drop Rashford did not work for the Red Devils as they failed to score and beat Crystal Palace.
Despite playing well and creating a number of chances, Ten Hag’s team once again showed that they lack the cutting edge that other big Premier League clubs have.
The Man United manager’s decision to drop Rashford may not be a bad decision though, as that was the club’s third match in the space of a week.
Rashford needs game time at Man United to regain form
However, to drop an in-form player, who finally looked like getting his scoring form back may not be the wisest decision from the Dutch manager.
Rashford could end up being the club’s leading goal scorer this season as other players have struggled for consistency in front of goal.
Ten Hag knows what Rashford is capable of and the English attacker showed that two seasons ago when he scored 30 goals in all competitions.
The attacker needs a consistent run in the team and needs the backing of the manager and the club to perform at the top level.
