“Despite the fact that he does not score even during training, he is a very lazy player. I do not want him anymore, the coach tells Manchester United Flop to Leave Manchester United
Erik ten Hag has labelled Marcus Rashford’s birthday celebration at a nightclub a few hours after Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City as “unacceptable”.
Ten Hag’s team lost the derby on Sunday afternoon, and Rashford went to an event at Manchester’s Chinawhite to mark his 26th birthday, which was on Tuesday.
“I am aware of it; I spoke with him about it,” Ten Hag stated. “This is intolerable. I informed him, and he apologised. That was it. It’s an internal matter. The manager was asked if Rashford had been penalised. “It is an internal matter,” he stated.
Not-so-sweet 16: Ten Hag’s Manchester United signings and their ratings
Last season, Ten Hag dismissed Rashford from the starting lineup at Wolves due to late timekeeping. In light of this and United’s struggles, Ten Hag was asked on whether Rashford’s performance on Sunday demonstrated that the attacker was out of sync with the manager’s demands.
“Your suggestion is not correct,” Ten Hag stated. “He is extremely motivated to make things right.” I understand how much effort he is putting in. He makes mistakes, but it doesn’t imply he doesn’t fit in. He makes one mistake, but off the pitch, what he does and how he lives, I am confident he is doing everything correctly to support the squad.”
Ten Hag confirmed Rashford’s availability for Saturday’s trip to Fulham, but United will be without Casemiro for several weeks due to a hamstring issue. Last Sunday’s setback was followed by a 3-0 loss to Newcastle in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fixture, which eliminated the holders. Ten Hag denied that Rashford started the game as a substitute to discipline him, citing Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Højlund being on the bench. “No, you have seen we rotated more,” that’s what he said.
City and Newcastle’s defeats add to the season’s disappointing start. United have lost five of their last ten home games, won one of three Champions League games, and are currently eighth in the Premier League, eight points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and seven behind fifth-placed Aston Villa. Fifth place might mean Champions League qualification.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in May 2013, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, José Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have failed to turn United into title challengers. Ten Hag was asked if the structure of the club made this impossible.
“I wouldn’t work here if I didn’t think it wasn’t right,” he told me. “Sometimes you have difficult periods but when you stick together you come through those difficult periods.” Ten Hag disputed that United had to defeat Fulham because his job was under threat. “I never think in such scenarios – we have to win every game,” he stated, insisting on his players’ ability to turn the campaign around.
