September 21st 2024.
Erik ten Hag was quite disheartened by Jamie Redknapp's remarks about the decision to leave Marcus Rashford out of Manchester United's recent match against Crystal Palace. The Sky Sports pundit had suggested that there may have been some sort of issue behind the scenes that led to Rashford's absence from the starting lineup.
Despite Rashford's noteworthy performance and Player of the Match title in United's previous game against Barnsley, where he scored two goals, he was only named as a substitute for the Palace game. In the end, United managed to secure a point with excellent saves from both Andre Onana and Dean Henderson.
Interestingly, it was only Alejandro Garnacho's second Premier League start of the season, and Redknapp's pre-match comments hinted that Rashford's absence may have unsettled Ten Hag. He stated, "It feels like something has gone untoward. You don't drop a player that's scored two in midweek and Southampton." Redknapp also mentioned that Rashford seemed to be regaining the same energy he had a few years ago.
Furthermore, Redknapp alluded to some sort of issue that may have taken place during the week, causing frustration for the manager. He also talked about the importance of living right and playing right in order to maintain a professional standard. Redknapp concluded by stating that while Rashford is undoubtedly talented, it is not acceptable for him to be labeled as unprofessional.
However, despite Redknapp's speculations, Rashford did end up coming on as a substitute in the second half of the game against Palace. When asked about Redknapp's comments after the match, Ten Hag responded, "Yeah, I heard already the speculation, some pundits... that is crazy. Then I would almost say as a person, you are not okay when you bring such speculation if you don't know what's going on."
Ten Hag firmly stated that the decision to leave Rashford out of the starting lineup was simply a rotation tactic, as they have many games to cover and more than 11 starting players. He also emphasized that all players will be given chances to play if they perform well, and ultimately, the ones who perform better will earn more playing time.
He also made it clear that he is very happy with Rashford's performance, both offensively and defensively, and that there is no truth to the speculation brought up by Redknapp. Ten Hag reiterated that the decision was purely a rotation tactic and had nothing to do with any underlying issues.
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