Starting Marcus Rashford against Fulham would have been a ‘risk’ according to Erik ten Hag.
I think it’s fair to say that we were all a little shocked when Marcus Rashford dropped out of the Fulham game with an apparent injury late on – particularly after we saw the Englishman travel down South with the rest of his teammates.
Just before team news was released, news filtered through that Rashford was dealing with a problem, after picking up an injury during Friday’s training session. The timing felt a little off, particularly with Erik ten Hag less-than-pleased with Rashy’s decision to go out partying after the derby day defeat.
Now, Ten Hag has confirmed exactly why the United star was not involved, as the ‘risk’ of losing him for a prolonged period would not have been worth it.
Check out what Ten Hag had to say on Rashford here:
“Yes, he had some complaints after training,” Ten Hag confirmed, per the Manchester Evening News. “He travelled with us but today the complaints were that much he couldn’t start, it would be a risk to start him and lose him over more weeks and games.”
“So we didn’t want to go with the risk because we have many more important games to play.”
Honestly, this is the right decision. If there’s any chance that Rashford could have made the problem worse, then holding him out is 100% the best thing to do. I know he’s not been at his best to start this campaign, but if he played, then was ruled out for several weeks as a result of the risk, his confidence levels would be even lower.
For the next few games, the fixture list does look a little easier (on paper at least). I know there are no easy games at this level, but this feels like a good time for the players (as individuals and as a collective) to start finding some form before the games get tougher again.
We’re at such a crucial stage in the season, with Rashford crucial to any success the club will have. His goals definitely carried us at times last season and we’re going to need the number ten to hit those heights again sooner rather than later.
Do you think Marcus Rashford will be back fit for the Champions League game vs Copenhagen on Wednesday? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
