Rio Ferdinand criticizes Erik ten Hag for causing confusion among Manchester United players.

Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand has voiced his criticism towards current United manager Erik ten Hag for his decision to bench Marcus Rashford in their recent Premier League match against Crystal Palace. Despite Rashford scoring in their previous game against Southampton and twice in the midweek Carabao Cup match, he was left out of the starting lineup for the Palace game.

Ten Hag defended his decision, citing the need for rotation in a congested schedule, but Ferdinand, along with fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp, suspected there may have been other reasons for Rashford's omission. Ferdinand expressed his confusion and believed it may have also confused Rashford, who was finally finding his form and confidence.

Ferdinand pointed out that United were creating chances but not scoring as many goals as they should, and questioned whether it was the right time to rotate when they had a player in form like Rashford. However, he also acknowledged the performances of young players like Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo, making it a difficult decision for the manager.

Ten Hag, on the other hand, dismissed any speculations and defended his decision as purely for rotation purposes. He also expressed his satisfaction with Rashford's overall performance and assured that his benching had nothing to do with his abilities or form.

The United boss emphasized the importance of having a strong squad and giving opportunities to players who perform well. He made it clear that rotation is necessary, especially with a busy schedule, and eventually the players who perform better will earn more playing time.

In the end, Ten Hag reiterated that there was no issue with Rashford and praised his contributions in both attacking and defensive aspects of the game. The decision to bench him was simply a matter of rotation, and Ten Hag expressed his happiness with the overall performance of the team.

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