Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has labelled the criticism of Marcus Rashford’s early-season form as “stupid.”
Rashford faced backlash after missing several key opportunities during the Community Shield loss to Manchester City, and his early substitution in the 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday added to the scrutiny.
Former England striker Alan Shearer was among those who criticised the 26-year-old’s performance at the Amex Stadium.
However, speaking on Friday, Ten Hag made it clear that he remains satisfied with Rashford’s contributions and does not share the concerns voiced by others.
“Everyone gets criticism; it doesn’t matter what we are doing, if we are winning or losing,” Ten Hag told a news conference.
“If I take a player off, the conclusion is I was not happy with him. I was very happy with Rashy in preseason, against Fulham and also against Brighton.
“It is not why I took him off because his performances or level were not right. No.
“We had to rotate, and we have good players on the bench as well; you bring new energy. There will be rotation, and if then there is the conclusion the player is not performing, [it] can be sometimes but definitely it wasn’t in this case. Stupid analysis in this case from the pundit.”
Manchester United has confirmed that Manuel Ugarte will not be available for the match against Liverpool at Old Trafford this Sunday. Although Ugarte is set to join the team, he has not been registered in time and will have to wait for his debut.
Additionally, manager Erik ten Hag will be missing Scott McTominay, who is close to finalizing a move to Napoli. Ten Hag has expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision to let McTominay leave, indicating that he is not fully pleased with the situation.
“It is a little bit mixed,” he said. “I am very happy for him, but it is mixed because I wouldn’t prefer to lose him.
“He is Man United in everything. He was so important for Man United. He was here for over 22 years, but unfortunately it is the rules.
“Homegrown players bring more value, and that is not the right thing to do, but for everyone, for all parts, it is a good deal. Scott is happy with it, and Napoli and us.”