From the star of our It’s All Kicking Off podcast, CHRIS SUTTON. . . Rashford has no respect for Ten Hag. It’s a disgrace. He’s out of control
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ANOTHER week, another problem for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United — and this time it comes with a familiar name attached.
Marcus Rashford’s apparent disaffection with life at Old Trafford has come to the boil after he missed Sunday’s FA Cup win at Newport following a trip to Belfast.
Rashford, we are told, was unwell at the weekend and therefore not fit enough to travel with Ten Hag and his team to south Wales. However, after being seen socialising in Belfast on Wednesday night, it now appears the 26-year-old was out in the city on Thursday as well.
United manager Ten Hag has not denied the story and has not taken the opportunity to refute suggestions that his star player has lied to him.
The matter was a hot topic on yesterday’s It’s All Kicking Off! podcast, with Mail Sport star columnist and Premier League winner Chris Sutton quick to tear into Rashford for his alleged lack of discipline.
‘Marcus Rashford is like a good few Manchester United players at the moment,’ said Sutton. ‘He thinks he’s untouchable.
‘This isn’t the first time he has had a misdemeanour. It’s been continuous. He has no respect for the manager and no respect for his team-mates. That’s the bottom line.
‘He’s probably thinking he is going to outlast Ten Hag anyway but he’s out of control as far as I can see.’
United sources told the media at the end of last week that Rashford had become unwell after his night in Belfast on Wednesday and missed training because of that. It was after this that images emerged of him out in Northern Ireland on Thursday and so far, this has not been denied by Rashford or the club.
This is not the first time Rashford has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons since Ten Hag became United manager in the summer of 2022. Last season, he was dropped for a game at Wolves after being late for a team meeting. Then, in October, he was spoken to by Ten Hag for going out to celebrate his birthday after playing in a United side that had been outclassed by Manchester City in a 3-0 derby defeat.
Speaking on IAKO yesterday, Mail Sport football editor Ian Ladyman wondered whether this may be a case of ‘three strikes and out’ for Rashford.
Sutton replied: ‘It’s unbelievable. He is 26 now, Marcus Rashford. He has such a lack of respect for the manager. He’s making his feelings quite clear, isn’t he?
‘I feel sorry for Ten Hag, but essentially we know which way this is going to go. Ten Hag will eventually leave, Rashford will stay and all the Manchester United fans further down the line will love Marcus again because he’s “Manchester United through and through”. But his actions have been utterly disgraceful.’
Ten Hag has drawn a line in the sand in the pursuit of discipline and squad harmony since being hired from Ajax. He was quick to move on Cristiano Ronaldo last season and stood firm at the start of this campaign over Jadon Sancho, who has been sent back on loan to Borussia Dortmund after he refused to apologise for taking a swipe at his manager on social media.
‘I’ll say a couple of things here,’ said Ladyman. ‘I don’t know Rashford’s view on this, whether he’s feeling unfairly maligned or put upon or unfairly criticised.
‘But what I do know is that at Manchester United, there is a view within the club that Rashford is not having Ten Hag. That is what they feel inside the club. That has been communicated to me.
‘And if that’s the case, then it seems Ten Hag clearly is prepared to die on this hill of discipline. We have seen it with Sancho. Now we have seen it with Rashford. And if he does die on this hill, and if he does leave the club, then respect to him for that.
‘In terms of Rashford himself, my concern is that if he were to leave Manchester United — and he is contracted until 2028 — I think there’s a danger that he disappears. What I mean by that — hypothetically — is that if he goes to Chelsea, Tottenham or a club abroad, he could disappear into that void into which quite a few former Manchester United players have fallen previously.
‘There is quite a history of players leaving United and not going on to do very well, and he could be another one.’
TEN HAG’S team played fairly well in Sunday’s 4-2 win at League Two Newport, which sent United through to the fifth round of the FA Cup. After the game, though, captain Bruno Fernandes criticised some of his team-mates for being greedy.
‘Everyone wanted to score and get their goal and sometimes we don’t get the best decision for the team,’ said Fernandes.
Sutton was perplexed by the Portuguese’s comments. He said: ‘That’s pretty remarkable. The captain of Manchester United coming out publicly and telling everybody that it’s everyone for themselves. That’s something he should be saying within the confines of the dressing room. He’s just letting everybody know that things aren’t right.’
United’s next game is at Wolves in the Premier League on Thursday, with Rashford expected to be available for selection again.
Ladyman thinks United’s new investor Jim Ratcliffe and incoming chief executive Omar Berrada have myriad issues to address in the squad.
‘They will have an awful lot of players to replace before long,’ he said. ‘We don’t know what will happen with Rashford but Sancho isn’t coming back any time soon. Mason Greenwood isn’t coming back. Jonny Evans is on a short contract. How long will Casemiro stick around? How long will Christian Eriksen stick around? What about Raphael Varane?
‘All those players — even if only half of them go — have to be replaced. They may not all be good enough and they may not be performing, but they are bodies in the squad. They are going to need to be replaced.’