Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called for trust regarding his decision to bench Marcus Rashford for Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace.
Ahead of the match, Ten Hag had praised the England forward’s recent form, noting Rashford’s return to top performance after regaining control of his career, with three goals in his last two games.
However, in a surprising move, the Dutchman opted to start Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo instead, leaving Rashford on the bench. The 26-year-old eventually came on to replace Joshua Zirkzee after an hour of play.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp claimed “there’s obviously something that’s happened” for Ten Hag to leave Rashford out.
That theory was rejected as “crazy” after the game, with Ten Hag saying he was just rotating his squad, adding: “As a person you are not OK when you bring such speculation if you don’t know what’s going on.”
Earlier this week on the Rest is Football podcast, host Gary Lineker and former England striker Alan Shearer also questioned Ten Hag’s decision., external
Asked about the future around Rashford, before Ten Hag’s side’s opening Europa League game against his boyhood club FC Twente, he said on Tuesday: “I didn’t understand the criticism. People are not entitled to bring speculation.
“If I give an explanation they have to trust my words. If they don’t, that’s not right.”