Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has backed Marcus Rashford despite his struggle in front of goal this season.
The England forward banged in a career-high 30 competitive goals last season but has fallen short of those standards this term with just one goal to his name, failing to score in his last five league games.
It has led to calls for Rashford to be dropped to the bench in favour of Alejandro Garnacho but Ten Hag sees no reason to do that, believing the 25-year-old will be back to his scoring best soon.
“We need to give him the trust. I play him every game and most games he finished the game, so I have a strong belief he will return to scoring a lot of goals,” Ten Hag said in a press conference ahead of Sunday’s derby with crosstown rivals Manchester City.
???? @PremierLeague focus. @MarcusRashford ???? @B_Fernandes8 #MUFC || #PL pic.twitter.com/NPBWWEcRpK
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 27, 2023
Speaking of Garnacho, the Argentine teenager has been in the spotlight after he posted an emoji of a gorilla in connection with Andre Onana after his heroics during United’s narrow 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen in the Champions League in midweek.
Onana has dismissed any racist connotations to the post and Ten Hag stressed it was not a big issue and that unity in the dressing room was paramount.
“I’m not concerned in this moment,” he stated. “We are talking with the FA, but what you see, and I want to emphasise, is that we are united.”
Speaking on Onana’s performances in United’s last two games, he said: “He has high expectations of himself. You have to tell him ‘look what you did in the past with great clubs. You have the skills to do it’. The last two games he’s made good progress and now he needs to keep this going.”
Looking ahead to the highly-anticipated derby, Ten Hag exclaimed: “[We are a hard team to beat; we find a way to win. We are going in the right direction. It is a match that is so huge because it is Manchester, internal, but all eyes will on this game worldwide.”
United have won their last two Premier League games and currently occupy eighth place in the standings, five points shy of the coveted top four.
