caughtoffside
·4 October 2024
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·4 October 2024
Marcus Rashford was taken off at halftime by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag against Porto in the Europa League.
The English attacker was by far the best player in the first half, scoring a goal for his team and assisting the other one.
It was a surprising decision from the Dutch manager who is currently struggling to get positive results.
The fans were expecting some fitness issues with the player that forced Ten Hag to take the player off just after 45 minutes in a crucial match.
However, the under-fire Man United manager has claimed that the reason behind taking Rashford off was he wanted to rotate the players and keep them fresh.
Rashford was replaced at halftime by Alejandro Garnacho, in a decision which has not gone down well with the fans.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the 3-3 draw against Porto, the Man United manager said, as reported by GOAL:
“We have to rotate. Garnacho, we didn’t start him, but he had a great game not only Sunday but the whole season.
Man United star Marcus Rashford looked in fine form against Porto. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
“We go quickly with a turnaround to Villa and they have had a day longer to recover and we have an away game.”
Instead of focusing on winning the game his team is currently playing, Ten Hag is thinking about the next match.
Perhaps it is not the best way to approach the difficult situation he is facing at the club.
His team has failed to win in their last four matches and their next match against high flying Aston Villa is not going to be a walk in the park.
Unai Emery’s team are coming right after beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Their confidence is high and their form is impressive, inspired by attacker Jhon Duran who cannot stop scoring goals.
Rashford would be surprised with his manager’s decision but most of what Ten Hag is doing at Old Trafford these days is making little sense to anyone.
His team’s 3-3 draw against Porto in the Europa League has raised more questions about his job and his future at the club.
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