“I’m sorry, that was pathetic” – Ex-England striker Dean Ashton blasts Manchester United superstar after ‘disastrous’ start against Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest stunned Manchester United early in their Premier League encounter on Saturday, scoring twice within four minutes to take control at Old Trafford. Reacting to the Red Devils' poor start, ex-Engand player Dean Ashton slammed Marcus Rashford for his defensive lapse that led to the opening goal.
United's defense was caught napping as Taiwo Awoniyi easily shook off Rashford to score within the first two minutes of play. The United forward could barely catch up to Awoniyi, who took the ball past the halfway line and put it in the back of the net on the other end.
Dean Ashton didn't mince words in his critique of Rashford's error. During a talkSPORT interview, he said:
“Disastrous start for United. That is the one player you don’t want it to fall to. He would’ve loved to see Rashford there. He just shrugged him aside! Marcus Rashford, I’m sorry, that was pathetic defending. You had the chance to tackle and it was a pathetic effort.”
But Forest weren't finished. Moments later, Willy Boly doubled their lead, heading in a cross from Morgan Gibbs-White to leave Manchester United shell-shocked.
Yet, the Red Devils pulled one back before half-time. Clawing back possession and orchestrating plays, they finally broke Forest's resilience. Christian Eriksen scored the equaliser, with Rashford redeeming himself with the assist. The Englishman dazzled with a sudden burst of speed from the flanks to beat his marker and served up the assist to the Danish playmaker on a platter.
Erik ten Hag shifts focus to current squad amidst Mason Greenwood's exit from Manchester United
In the wake of Manchester United parting ways with Mason Greenwood, head coach Erik ten Hag emphasized his focus on the team's current roster rather than dwelling on past controversies.
Earlier this week, United made headlines by announcing that Greenwood, who was arrested and charged last year before ultimately being released, would no longer be a part of the team. According to club management, the forward's continued presence would have invited undue scrutiny.
Addressing media queries about Greenwood's exit, ten Hag said (via Metro):
"Look, we are not where we want to be with our team, I have a lot of work and a lot of focus on my team, so I focus on the players who are available. I only have statements about our performance, our squad, where we have to improve because it’s clear, we have to improve. I have to put every effort in to get the team to perform."
Greenwood, who faced severe charges last year that were later dropped, found himself at the center of an internal investigation. Despite this, Manchester United’s leadership determined it would be in the best interest of all involved for him to leave Old Trafford.
While ten Hag refrained from directly commenting on Greenwood, he made it abundantly clear that his immediate concern is to better the team's on-field achievements.