"The body language of a team tells you a lot" - Jermaine Jenas questions commitment of 2 Manchester United stars after Newcastle defeat
Former Premier League midfielder-turned-football pundit has questioned the committment of two Manchester United players following the Red Devils' 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United. The Magpies throughly dominated the Red Devils at St. James' Park on Saturday, December 2.
Anthony Gordon scored the all-important winner for Eddie Howe's side in the second half and secured three much-deserved points for the Magpies. Following the game, Jermaine Jenas hit out at Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial for their poor attitude on the pitch.
Jenas claimed that Rashford looked visibly frustrated to be deployed in an unnatural right wing role. He said, as quoted by Eurosport:
“There was a couple of players in there for me that either weren't happy with the tactics that were put to them or weren't happy with their positions on the pitch. But the body language of a team tells you a lot at times, and there was a few of them that were sending a message to the manager I thought today. I thought Marcus Rashford on the right-hand side in particular, the way that he just walked around throwing his arms around was one for me that said, ‘Look, I don't want to be out playing on this right-hand side’."
Jenas also claimed that the players are not giving their everything for the Manchester United manager and hit out at Martial and Rashford for their poor work rate. He added:
“No tracking back, you had Martial getting run by Fabian Schar from centre-half into midfield doing whatever he wants. There were too many of those moments that I looked at and I thought, he seems to be such a disciplinarian off the pitch, Erik ten Hag, but I didn't see that same level of respect from the players on the pitch today. And that's a big concern.”
Rashford and Martial have both struggled this season. Rashford has scored just twice in 18 games, while Martial has also managed two goals in 14 appearances.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag breaks silence on argument with Anthony Martial
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag spoke regarding his argument with Anthony Martial during the Red Devils' 1-0 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday, December 2. The French striker was seen arguing with his manager when Newcastle were dominating the Red Devils in the first half.
Ten Hag has opened up on the incident and insisted that he meant to fire up his side and did not particularly single out Martial. The Manchester United boss said after the game, as quoted by The Manchester Evening News:
"It's not about Anthony Martial, it's about the team. I try to energise the team and try to get a reaction from the team in this moment. As you see, we had a tough period and when you're coaching you are a little more aggressive, so that's normal."
Following their defeat at Newcastle, Manchester United are seventh now and will host Chelsea on Wednesday night in the first of three consecutive home fixtures.