Redknapp Says 'Something's Happened' With Rashford and Ten Hag

Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford was dropped by manager Erik ten Hag for the Red Devils' trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace this evening, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp believing that 'something has happened' to provoke the decision.

Rashford netted a brace in United's 7-0 thrashing of Barnsley in the EFL Cup in midweek, and this followed an accurate strike against Southampton last weekend, a game in which he was praised for being 'electric'. Despite this seeming return to form for the England international, the Dutch manager opted to deploy Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo on either wing instead for the encounter with Palace.

Introduced at the hour mark in place of Joshua Zirkzee, Rashford was unable to make an impact off the bench, as the game ended 0-0.

Redknapp: Something isn't Right With Rashford Dropping

The forward had been returning to form

Speaking on Sky Sports prior to kick off, former Liverpool player Redknapp said on the Rashford situation:

"I mean, it feels like something's gone untoward. I obviously don't know the details, but you don't drop a player that's just scored two in midweek, that's scored against Southampton. I'd be nervous to say he's back, but he's certainly showing signs of the energy that we saw from Marcus Rashford two years ago.

"It feels there's something that's maybe happened this week, I don't know the manager's frustration. It's very unusual for a manager to come out and almost out a player by talking about their lifestyle. I always think about the great Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, and he'd very rarely do that - well, he'd never do it. Whereas, Ten Hag has done it on occasions, and it's not always beneficial to the players.

Now, something over the last year or so hasn't been right with Marcus, I don't know how he lives his lifestyle, but the manager's obviously alluded to it. Is it in the right way?

"Now, this guy's a player, but you can't put diesel in a Ferrari engine. You can't. If you want to live right these days and play, you've got to be at it at all times, especially at a club where you're under scrutiny like Manchester United. There's no doubting his talent, but when the manager talks about your lack of professionalism, you can't have that. That's not acceptable for a player these days. So there's obviously something that's happened, in Ten Hag's defence, but for Marcus Rashford to have that labelled against him, it's not ideal for him either."

Rashford's Premier League Statistics 2023/24

Appearances

33

Goals

7

Assists

2

Shots Per 90 Minutes

2.38

Key Passes Per 90 Minutes

0.91

United Play Out Stalemate

Two wins from five for Ten Hag

Despite dominating proceedings for large periods at Selhurst Park, Ten Hag's team were unable to convert any of their several opportunities in front of goal, and were ultimately held to a goalless draw. The result means the north-west side have won just two of their opening five league matches, and sit in mid-table having accumulated seven points.

Question marks will be raised over the likes of Zirkzee, Bruno Fernandes, Diallo and Garnacho's proficiency in front of goal, with all four guilty of being wasteful in the final third, and whether Rashford could've helped solve some of these issues in the final third.