Marcus Rashford entered the game off the bench as Manchester United and Crystal Palace played to a goalless draw in the Premier League on Saturday. Erik ten Hag’s “puzzling” decision to start Rashford outside of the starting eleven for this pivotal match has drawn criticism from Rio Ferdinand. The 26-year-old striker recently snapped his goal slump with goals against Barnsley and Southampton.
Ten Hag kept Rashford to only 29 minutes on the field at Selhurst Park by starting Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee, and Amad up front. United was unable to penetrate Palace’s defense, and the game ended in a scoreless draw. When Rashford was starting to settle into a groove, Ferdinand expressed his confusion at the decision to sideline him. As though he understands the need for player rotation, he questioned the timing of sidelining an in-form player like Rashford.
“After the match against Palace, Manchester United ranked third in expected goals, trailing only behind Man City and Liverpool,” he said in a video posted to his YouTube account, as reported by the Mirror. Opportunities are being created, but they are not being converted. It’s fair to question whether rotating at this time is warranted given that Marcus Rashford is finding his footing and gaining momentum, both of which are critical for any player’s confidence.
“We’re creating opportunities, but you bench the player who is starting to score,” Ferdinand went on. That was an unexpected decision, in my opinion. In light of the rumors that were going around, it was comforting to hear the management clarify that it was simply a choice about rotation. It’s ridiculous that some pundits were already talking about different motivations.
Ten Hag clarified that it was just an issue of rotation in response to the rumors. “We can only field 11 players due to our packed schedule,” he said. “We have to make sure that every player has opportunities according to their performance; in time, the guys who perform well will get greater playing time. My decision to bench Rashford was solely based on squad management, not on my assessment of his ability.
