"I am sure he will get there" - Erik ten Hag backs struggling Manchester United star to regain his lost form
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is confident Marcus Rashford will return to the exceptional form that he displayed last term despite his poor start this season.
The England international had arguably the best season of his career during the 2022-23 campaign. He scored 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 56 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils, helping them win the Carabao Cup.
Rashford has seen a massive dip in form this season, recording just two goals and assists each in 14 Premier League appearances. The Manchester United winger is yet to get on the scoresheet in the UEFA Champions League.
While cognizant of his sub-par performances this term, Ten Hag remains convinced that Rashford will see better days in the latter half of this campaign. The former Ajax boss said ahead of his side's fixture against Bournemouth this weekend:
"So Rashford is an incredible, good player. You can't do it with 11 players, he can't play every game. He's not in this moment in the form he was last year, but I am sure he will get there."
Rashford didn't feature in the starting XI for Manchester United's 2-1 win over Chelsea on December 6, with Alejandro Garnacho starting in his place. Ten Hag's decision was seen by many as a reaction to the English forward's poor form this term. However, the Dutch boss played it down to mere squad rotation.
"They said it was impossible" - Ten Hag reveals he was warned not to join Manchester United
Ten Hag was appointed United manager last summer after vacating the Ajax job. The Dutch boss had a great debut season in charge at Old Trafford, helping his side achieve a third-place league finish and lift the Carabao Cup.
He has come under criticism this term after Manchester United's turbulent start to the campaign. The Red Devils are sixth in the Premier League standings and are at the bottom of their Champions League group.
They have won just once in five outings in Europe and are dangerously close to elimination from the competition. They are up against Bayern Munich in their final group-stage game and need to win to reach the knockout stages.
Ten Hag has now admitted that people told him he was destined to fail if he took up the Manchester United job after leaving Ajax, saying (via The Guardian):
“Everyone was telling me. ‘you can’t succeed in that job'. They said it was impossible. Me? I wanted the challenge. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it was such a great club with such a great fanbase."
The Red Devils have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup after losing to Newcastle United in the Round of 16.