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1 month ago
15 Erik ten Hag has replied to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp after he speculated over why Marcus Rashford had been left out of the Manchester United starting line-up against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The conversation aired after Ten Hag had benched Rashford for the match, claiming that he was only looking to rotate the squad and keep his players fresh, ahead of this week’s Europa League opener against the manager’s former club FC Twente.
However, Redknapp wanted to grab the headlines with his own little soundbite. He suggested that Ten Hag had dropped Rashford and something was going on behind the scenes to suggest the manager was lying with his explanation on the matter.
We rarely see the same focus on other managers. Usually, the press buy whatever they say, but it’s not the same case for Ten Hag and he was right to point it out at this afternoon’s press conference.
“I didn’t understand the criticism,” Ten Hag told reporters, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “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.”
Ten Hag already knows there is a focus on Rashford and that he gets unfair press. Redknapp’s comments over the weekend cross a line and you know how the tabloids feed on that stuff.
Rashford had scored three goals in two matches before the Palace game, including a brace against Barnsley in the League Cup. The manager has options and is right to rotate his squad. It’s not like there isn’t competition for places in attack right now.
United also have more games this season with the new Europa League format. Potentially, we could play 17 fixtures in the competition if United reach this year’s final.
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