Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has challenged Marcus Rashford to win his place back in the team after dropping to the bench for the midweek win over Chelsea.
Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions last season for the first time in his career but has seen that form desert him in recent months, finding the net only twice so far in 2023/24.
The 25-year-old was then left out of the starting lineup for the first time this season when a United side under immense pressure not to drop any more points faced Chelsea at Old Trafford.
“Rashford is an incredibly good player. You can’t do it with XI players and he can’t play in every game. He is not in the form he was last year, but I am sure he will get back,” Ten Hag said in his latest press conference.
The United boss went on to use the examples of other players who have recently forced him to pick them due to an obvious upturn in their performances and output.
“I said the same thing about Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire, it is up to them,” Ten Hag explained, suggesting there may be no quick fix. “Every week, the team will line up in training and the best players will form the best team and they will play.”
Both McTominay and Maguire seemed destined to leave Old Trafford during the summer, with neither player seemingly a part of Ten Hag’s plans. Yet they have each come roaring back into the side to make decisive impact, with the latter even winning November’s Premier League Player of the Month award.
McTominay, who scored both goals against Chelsea, hasn’t failed to start a Premier League game since his late brace secured a vital comeback win over Brentford in early October. Meanwhile, Maguire got his reprieve due to others being sidelined but has been keeping 2018 World Cup and four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane out of the team for the past two months.
In Rashford’s absence from the start against Chelsea, both Alejandro Garnacho and Antony impressed on the flanks.
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