Ten Hag's 'strange' decision that helped Rashford at Man Utd

Stuart Telford

• 25 Feb 2023 04:01 CST
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag has got the best out of Marcus Rashford at Manchester United this season, but some of his methods were a surprise to the England forward.

Rashford has emerged as United's main attacking asset this season, his 24 goals and nine assists in all competitions making Cristiano Ronaldo feel like a distance memory at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo fell foul of the Dutchman's demands long before he gave an unsanctioned interview to Piers Morgan, in which he slammed the club and Ten Hag in particular, which preceded his big-money move to Al Nassr.

READ: What does Rashford's celebration mean?

Rashford's dressing room influence has been more positive under Ten Hag, but he was dropped for the 1-0 win at Wolves on New Year's Eve having been late for training - although he came off the bench to score the winner.

And he has reflected on the episode again recently.

Rashford: 'I'd have done the same'

"For me, that's why I never made a thing out of it, because if I was a coach, I'd have done the same," Rashford explained.

"Because if you don't have standards in the training ground, how do you expect to go out on the pitch and win consistently? It's impossible

READ: EXCLUSIVE: Ten Hag's £350m Man Utd summer transfer plans already taking shape

"If you're going to allow each other to slip or have an off day, and no one says anything about it, which is at times a position that we've been in, once you're in it it's difficult to get out of it because it becomes normal.

"And I've not seen it at this club before. So for me, it was a little bit strange and it's even more strange when you're involved in it."

Rashford and United agreed to a one-year contract extension at Old Trafford in December, and the club remain optimistic they can tie him down to a more meaningful deal despite reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain.