‘I look and think, wow’: Ferdinand perplexed by controversial Ten Hag decision that would’ve left player ‘confused’

Rio Ferdinand, like a large majority of pundits, was taken aback by Erik ten Hag’s starting XI to face Crystal Palace on Saturday.

When choosing his side to take on the Eagles, Ten Hag decided to leave Marcus Rashford on the bench, instead opting for a youthful wing pairing of Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo, with Joshua Zirkzee leading the line.

Should the omission have come at the back end of last season, or earlier in the current campaign, nobody would’ve batted an eyelid. However, it’s because Rashford had just seemingly found his feet following such a turbulent period by netting three goals in two matches: once against Southampton followed by a brace versus Barnsley in the subsequent midweek tie.

On the other hand, the England international has previously made it clear that his preference is to play off the left flank, meaning Zirkzee was nailed on to fulfil the No.9 role in Rasmus Hojlund’s absence. Elsewhere, dropping Amad or Garnacho, both of which have started the season in scintillating form, would’ve also sparked controversy.

Rotation is crucial now that United have fixtures coming thick and fast in all competitions; they kickstart their Europa League campaign tomorrow night against FC Twente before hosting Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday. It’ll be interesting to which match Rashford starts, if not both. 

Read more: Ex-Utd ace tipped to be the ‘signing of the year’ after ‘standout’ performance, no wonder Ten Hag wanted to keep him

Ferdinand perplexed by Rashford omission

Nonetheless, Ferdinand reacted to the line-up change on his YouTube channel, saying: “Talking of rotation, following the game against Palace, Man United are third in terms of xG, only bettered by Man City and Liverpool. So they’re creating the chances but not scoring the goals.

“When you’ve got a man in form like Marcus Rashford, who’s coming into a bit of form and momentum, which is key for any player and their confidence, I’m thinking is it the right time now to rotate?

“We’re creating chances, and you take out the guy who is actually starting to score. I just look at that and think, wow. It was pleasing to see the manager come out and say it was rotation, nothing else – because there were some murmurings around it.

“But Marcus Rashford man… I think he will be sitting there thinking, ‘I’ve just hit a bit of form and they’ve taken me out’. That confuses me, it’s confusing. But then again, Garnacho has been one of the most productive players and has been causing havoc. And Amad is playing well. So it’s a hard one.”