Maguire news adds to Ole’s injury woes
STRIKER Rashford Manchester United are half the side they should be on the pitch and warns they urgently need to unlock their full potential. The England forward, 22, provided the solitary moment of hope in the humiliation against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday, scoring in the second half of the 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
But after United left themselves a mountain to climb in the return leg at the Etihad on January 29, Rashford did not mince his words.
“The first half wasn’t a Man United performance but the second half we showed character and courage, and it was more like us,” he said.
“Nobody wants to lose and nobody started playing football to lose games, and I think everyone knows that we want to win and that the team is fighting.
“We have to continue to do that but everything can improve a lot.
“We’re probably only showing half of what we can do as a team and we need to keep fighting to
Manchester United’s record in 2019:
TEAM COMPETITION PREMIER LEAGUE EUROPA LEAGUE FA CUP CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CARABAO CUP TOTAL
Marcus says
G38 6 4 4 3
W17 4 3 1 2 that extra percentage will win us games.”
The England forward semi-final comeback Manchester City possible if United can the spirit of Paris from last March, when they beat Paris SaintGermain 3-1 on their own patch to overturn a deficit
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L10 1 1 3 0
GF 56 10 8 3 6
GA 45 2 3 7 2 that
says a against remains tap into and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Rashford said: “It happened against PSG and we’re going to have to find that again. There’s always a chance if we do that. It’s doable.
“But on the pitch we have to adapt. We have to try to control the situation better than the way we did [against City].”
Indeed, there has been better recent example United’s dogged refusal accept a lost cause than their Champions League last-16 clash against French PSG.
Beaten 2-0 at Old Trafford, a stoppagefind no of to time penalty from Rashford sealed their passage into the last eight on away goals.
But Rashford knows United have a long way to go if they are to pull off a similar comeback and rectify their shocking first-half display on Tuesday.
He said: “We were way off the tempo. They changed a little bit and brought more players deeper than the last time we played against them.
“We’ll learn from it, but it’s not going to keep us down.
“We’re going to put it behind us, and the best way to do that is by winning the next game.
“It’s about winning and we want to prove to ourselves we can win consistently.” Rashford, who will make his 200th United appearance on Saturday against Norwich, wore the captain’s armband for the first time against
City but admitted defeat had tainted the experience.
He said: “It’s obviously a proud moment but, for me and the other players, it’s the result that matters.
“It’s one I’ll probably look back on as a nice moment but, for now, it’s not something that’s on my mind.
“Whether you have the armband or not, you have to put that responsibility on your own shoulders and try to show yourself as a Manchester United player.”
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was simmering after the humbling at the hands of City, expressing his disappointment that it took a half-time pep-talk to get his players firing.
But the Norwegian will take heart from his side’s proven ability to hurt City on the counter-attack. the United boss, with Scott McTominay likely to be out of action until next month and Paul Pogba having undergone ankle surgery. In addition, Axel Tuanzebe remains out with a hip injury and Eric Baillly has only just returned to full training after six months out following knee surgery.
Phil Jones deputised for Maguire against City but finished the match, which the Premier League champions won 3-1, battling cramp. Solskjaer’s injury nightmare could mean that Marcus Rojo, who is looking to move away in January, will not be allowed to go unless United can secure adequate cover. It also comes as Roma are looking to make Chris Smalling’s loan signing permanent, with a fee in the region of £14million likely to secure his services. McTominay, who damaged his knee early in United’s Boxing Day victory over Newcastle, but like Maguire played on, is likely to be out of action until well into next month.
He had crutches with him when watching the debacle unfold against City and was pictured in a knee brace when house-hunting in Cheshire yesterday.
Meanwhile, United are considering a move for Ajax’s £50million-valued midfielder Donny van de Beek.
The goalscoring star, above, was one of Ajax’s stand-out players in their run to the Champions League semi-finals last season and could be available this month. Ajax’s failure to qualify for the last 16 of this year’s competition has alerted Europe’s top clubs to the potential availability of their best talent.
The 22-year-old Dutchman would go a long way towards solving Solskjaer’s midfield problem, fitting the profile of the type of player he wants, having proved himself at the highest level but having yet to fulfil his full potential.