MANCHESTER — Erik ten Hag has taken again keep watch over at Manchester United by means of proving that disagree participant is greater than the staff. By way of shedding Marcus Rashford and later perceptible his facet seal a 2-1 win towards Chelsea on Wednesday, Ten Hag has delivered a sunny message to the dissenters within the dressing-room.
Upcoming days of adverse headlines in relation to Ten Hag’s control taste, his accumulation at the squad and skill to show the stream and quell unrest amongst his gamers, the previous Ajax Amsterdam teacher put his neck at the stop by means of shedding Rashford and backing United to win with out him.
Had it long gone the alternative approach, Rashford and the ones gamers doubting Ten Hag’s credentials would have had fields to query the chief’s forms, however two targets from Scott McTominay — paradoxically a participant Ten Hag was once ready to dump to West Ham United in the summertime — claimed the issues earlier than Rashford was once given seven mins as a overdue replace in park of the exhausted Rasmus Hojlund.
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The purpose were made: Rashford is a bulky participant at United, however they are able to win with out him and if he needs to regain his park, he’s going to wish to earn it.
“When we stick together, have right attitude, we have the performances to collect points,” Ten Hag stated in his post-match press convention. “You see how we won points — we dominated our opponent with possession and that’s how we want to play.
“Catastrophe? No longer for us. We stock tranquility, consider within the procedure. We all know what we need to assemble, and we don’t get disturbed by means of complaint round us.”
Every top manager faces make-or-break decisions at some point or other, and Ten Hag has had more than a few since taking charge at Old Trafford in the summer of 2022.
He dropped Cristiano Ronaldo and publicly criticised the forward’s conduct before sanctioning his exit from the club midway through last season — a big call he got right — and has also consigned Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane to lengthy spells on the sidelines due to loss of form or indiscipline.
But naming a starting XI without a fit Rashford was arguably Ten Hag’s biggest call since arriving at United because the England forward is supposed to be the future — the exciting forward with the goals and lofty reputation to lead the team back to challenging for major trophies.
Since becoming United’s highest-paid player by signing a new five-year contract in the summer, however, Rashford has been anything but the star the club expects him to be, scoring just two Premier League goals all season.
And his woeful, disinterested performance in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United was undoubtedly the nadir of his season so far. His surprised reaction to being substituted by Ten Hag at St James’ Park seemed a direct challenge to the manager’s authority, as if suggesting that Ten Hag was taking a big gamble by calling him to the bench with almost half an hour to play.
Had he named Rashford in his team against Chelsea, Ten Hag would have given the clear signal that, despite his lack of form, the 26-year-old was undroppable. When the teams were announced and Rashford was named as a substitute, Ten Hag told MUTV, United’s in-house channel, that it was merely a case of “rotation,” but it was more than that.
Ten Hag challenged his front three of Antony, Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho to justify his decision to omit Rashford and each of them, in their own way, displayed qualities that Rashford has failed to show this season.
Antony was a constant threat, despite his heavy reliance on his left foot, while Hojlund’s work-rate was incessant all night. Garnacho showed energy up and down the left flank and his cross led to McTominay’s opening goal on 19 minutes.
None of the front three looked as threatening and graceful as Rashford does when in his best form, but United and Ten Hag need commitment and effort to get them out of their malaise and all three of them produced it.
McTominay has those qualities in abundance. Again, he lacks the composure of a top-class player, but Ten Hag can always rely on the Scotland midfielder’s struggle and tenacity.
If United are ever to go back to the peak of the English and Eu recreation, they’ll want greater than McTominay’s fair attributes to overcome the most efficient, however Ten Hag’s staff remains to be a piece in proceed and till the likes of Rashford go back to lead mode, merely doing neatly on the fundamentals will likely be a minimal requirement.
And McTominay rising because the match-winner along with his second-half header following Cole Palmer’s forty fourth little equaliser was once possibly apt on a date when Rashford spent nearly all of the sport at the bench.
McTominay will get the entirety out of his skillset with sheer struggle and backbone, however he’s nowhere close as naturally talented as Rashford.
But that’s the message to Rashford and others within the squad who’re failing to are living as much as their attainable — struggle and constancy can form up for a wide variety of deficiencies.
However Ten Hag now is aware of he can proceed on with them or with out them. His staff proved that by means of beating Chelsea.
