Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag has expressed his uncertainty at the availability of in-form forward Marcus Rashford ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle at Wembley Stadium.
The 25-year-old forward limped off in the second half of United’s Europa League play-off tie against Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Although he was not on the score sheet against the Blaugrana, Ten Hag’s side came out as 2-1 winners on the night and 4-3 on aggregate, thanks to two second-half strikes from the Brazilian duo of Fred and Antony.
Rashford has been in impeccable form for the Red Devils, with 13 goals in 15 appearances in all competitions since the World Cup.
The Dutch manager gave an update on the United academy graduate as he looks to lead the Manchester club to their first title in six years.
“I don’t know [if Rashford will be available],” Ten Hag told the club’s media.
“Players are coming in now and we have to do medical investigations. We did some yesterday but it was so soon after the game, so most of the time you can’t say. You have to wait for the 100 per cent medical diagnosis.”
Also, the former Ajax manager ruled out French striker Anthony Martial for the final. The 27-year-old has been out since his goalscoring cameo in the Carabao Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest on February 1st.
In their previous tie in the Premier League earlier this season, the Magpies held United to a frustrating goalless draw at Old Trafford, and Ten Hag revealed he has been impressed by Eddie Howe’s impact at St. James’ Park but admits they [Newcastle] can “try to annoy you”.
“I think it’s a great team,” he said. “They have a clear philosophy of how they want to play the game, the key word is intensity. It’s an annoying team to play against.”
“So, we have to find a way to win the game. We have to make sure that we play our game and focus on our game.”
“The referee wants to play an effective time. They have the lowest in the league and are quite successful with it. So, it’s up to us that we get speed in the game. We’re also dependent on the refereeing as well,” the United manager concluded.
Ten Hag and his players will be looking to continue their current run of form since the beginning of the year, with eleven wins and three draws in 15 games. Also, a win against the Magpies puts an end to their six-year trophy drought since lifting the Europa League in 2017.
Newcastle, on the other hand, will be playing in their first major final in 24 years, having lost the FA Cup final 2-0 to the same opponent [Man Utd] in 1999.
