"Gonna be a long day", "This gaffer man" - Manchester United fans in disbelief as superstar is benched against Wolves
Manchester United fans have been left shocked after learning Marcus Rashford has been benched for the Red Devils' Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers today (December 31).
Manchester United will face Wolves in the Premier League at the Molineux Stadium in their last match of the year today. They will be determined to end the year on a high by earning a victory over the Wanderers.
The Red Devils go into the match on the back of an impressive 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest. A similar result today would see them go two points above fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
With less than an hour to go until kick-off, Manchester United have announced their starting line-up for the match. Erik ten Hag has notably made just one change to the team that beat Forest on Tuesday, December 27.
Rashford has been unexpectedly dropped from the Old Trafford outfit's line-up to face Wolves. It is worth noting that he scored and assisted a goal each in their win against the Tricky Trees earlier this week.
Ten Hag will be hopeful that Alejandro Garnacho will step into the Englishman's well. However, many Manchester United fans are not on board with his decision to drop the forward. One supporter quipped on Twitter:
"Rashford benched yeah! This gaffer man."
Another frustrated fan wrote:
"Gonna be a long day FFS!"
Here are some more reactions to Ten Hag's decision to drop Rashford from his starting line-up:
Ten Hag has since revealed that Rashford has been left on the bench due to 'internal disciplinary' reasons. It now remains to be seen if the Dutchman will bring the forward later on in the match.
How are Wolves lining up against Manchester United?
Wolves earned a 2-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park in their first league match after the FIFA World Cup. Goals from Daniel Podence and Rayan Ait-Nouri saw them claim all three points on Merseyside.
Today's match against Manchester United will be Julen Lopetegui's third one in charge of the Wanderers. The Spanish tactician has made just one change to the team that defeated the Toffees on Monday, December 26.
Portugal international Matheus Nunez has been promoted to the starting line-up, with Joe Hodge dropping to the bench. Lopetegui will now be hopeful that his preferred XI can earn a result against the Red Devils.
16 matches into the season, Wolves are placed 18th in the Premier League standings. They will be hopeful that the former Sevilla boss can steer them clear of the relegation zone.