Rashford is a major problem for Man United. Will Ten Hag drop him?،
Marcus Rashford was the player Erik ten Hag couldn't do without last season, but the Manchester United striker has become the problem that could define his manager's career at Old Trafford.
Unless Ten Hag removes Rashford from his squad, starting with Wednesday's Premier League clash against Chelsea at Old Trafford, it will erode his reputation as a manager willing to make the toughest decisions.
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Sanctioning Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Old Trafford a year ago was presented as a sign of Ten Hag's determination to assert his authority within his team, but parting ways with a player who had publicly castigated his management and the club was relatively easy. The same goes for allowing David de Gea to leave as a free agent this summer after a series of goalkeeping errors. Being tough on these two was easy because the exit door was already open for them.
But Rashford is different. Firstly, he is United's highest-earning player, having signed a five-year contract worth £325,000-a-week this summer. He is seen by the club's hierarchy as the embodiment of United's pride in giving local youngsters the chance to become stars at Old Trafford. If Ten Hag fails to crack the code with Rashford, there is no easy way out for either the club or the player.
Rashford's dismal performance in Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United was condemned by a number of former players, including United greats Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, while Alan Shearer and Jamie Carragher also made critical comments while working as experts this weekend. This result meant Newcastle overtook Man United into sixth place in the table.
Ten Hag no longer has any reason to persevere with Rashford. His goals dry up and his work rate decreases as the matches go on. Newcastle's Anthony Gordon, who could yet take Rashford's place in England at Euro 2024, exposed Rashford's lack of industry with a display of tenacity and hunger before scoring the winner for the team Eddie Howe.
Removing Rashford from the starting XI will now make United a better team, but will also help the 26-year-old. This would or should allow him to refocus and get back to his best form. After all, it was earlier this year that he tied Dennis Viollet's 64-year-old club record of scoring in nine consecutive home games, and scored 10 game-winning goals in a season, during of a campaign in which his post-World Cup form fueled United's performance. climb into the top four and qualify for the Champions League.
Rashford finished last season with 30 goals in all competitions, but his form has plunged in recent months and he has only managed to score twice in 18 games for United so far this season: one of these goals was a penalty at Everton last week. , when captain Bruno Fernandes let him take the kick to help build his confidence.
Ten Hag deployed Rashford in every position across the front three with little result. The player was clearly unhappy playing a central role as the club waited for the summer signing of Rasmus Højlund to return to full fitness. He has played on the right recently, thanks to the impressive Alejandro Garnacho on the left. But even when moved to his preferred position on the left side, Rashford failed to deliver.
Rashford's abject performance at Newcastle, when he offered nothing in attack and failed to get back to stop full-back Tino Livramento's run, prompted Ten Hag to replace him at the start of the second period. Rashford reacted with a look of surprise before slowly walking away, but perhaps the surprise was that he hadn't been taken away sooner.
Ten Hag's problem is that if he perseveres with Rashford, it will send the message to the rest of the team that not all players are judged on their performances. Centre-back Raphaël Varane was dropped in favor of a revitalized Harry Maguire, winger Jadon Sancho was ostracized by Ten Hag for refusing to apologize for a social media outburst after being sidelined while the Summer signings Sofyan Amrabat, Mason Mount and Sergio Reguilón have all done so. struggled to earn a starting spot when fit.
Rashford's lack of form has so far been overlooked by Ten Hag, who has spoken of “helping” the striker get back to his best. But who is Rashford's best? Is this the great run of form we saw three months after the World Cup or should it be judged over a longer period? Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Rashford has scored 37 goals in 106 games in all competitions for United, which is a fairly average output for a player of his reputation. For comparison, Mohamed Salah has scored 74 in 122 games for Liverpool, while Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-Min has scored 47 in 107 appearances during the same period.
Rashford's run of 17 goals in 19 games after returning from the World Cup last season paints the picture of a prolific goalscorer, but this streak now seems just an exception in a long period of underperformance. But those goals undoubtedly helped Rashford land his lucrative new contract, despite a lack of clubs testing United's ability to keep him.
Perhaps he has become too comfortable at United, too lenient with a club that has endured so many problems on and off the pitch that senior management do not want to be faced with the prospect of their star player becoming a issue. Sources have told ESPN that Rashford can be a distant and detached figure around the club. An example came last season when he arrived late for a media interview before the Carabao Cup final and left his car's engine running at the training ground while speaking briefly to waiting journalists to see it. His behavior at Newcastle was another weak point that did not help to present Rashford in a good light.
But if Ten Hag overlooks Rashford's lack of goals, poor performances and questionable body language by keeping him in the team, it will send the wrong message. If the manager bases team selection on form and contribution, his decision on Rashford this week has become a litmus test of his willingness to make the big decisions.
