Manchester United confirm stance on Marcus Rashford future
Marcus Rashford has only scored seven goals this season and there have been doubts over his long-term future at Man United.
Erik ten Hag is against the prospect of Manchester United selling Marcus Rashford.
Rashford has scored only seven goals this season and was disciplined for attending a birthday party hours after the 3-0 derby defeat to City in October and embarking on a boozy trip to Belfast in January. Friction has also been visible between Rashford and United matchgoers.
Under the profitability and sustainability rules, an academy sale represents a pure profit and Paris Saint-Germain expressed interest in signing the 26-year-old. Rashford’s brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, met PSG officials before the forward signed a new contract last year.
Rashford inked a five-year deal worth £325,000 a week in July and Ten Hag expressed his preference for United to keep the academy graduate.
“We did not sign him last season for five years with the intention to sell him now,” Ten Hag stressed. “He should be part of this project. So it is not a subject we don’t talk about.”
United head into Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool 17 points behind Jurgen Klopp’s side in the Premier League table. League Cup holders Liverpool have only lost two domestic matches this season whereas United have already suffered 11 league defeats.
Former United manager David Moyes infamously billed Liverpool as favourites on the eve of their 3-0 victory at Old Trafford in March 2014. Ten Hag did not offer a direct answer when asked if Liverpool were favourites for this weekend’s cup tie.
“It’s a difficult one,” he admitted. “I never think about who’s favourite, it starts on zero. Make sure we are ready and I don’t think about the opposition.
“I respect them, I respect every opposition. But it’s about making it our game, it’s about this. We know where the strengths are but also where the weaknesses are, it’s about our team, it’s about us.”
‘You ain’t Ryan Giggs’… Former Man Utd star explains what left him and Sir Alex going for each Other
Sir Alex Ferguson has a storied history of conflict with his Manchester United players, now another has shared the story behind their clash.
Manchester United have never been a club short of drama, with multiple events in the club’s history that today’s papers would feast upon.
Most memorable was the boot incident involving David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson which was an insane thing to happen.
Another was the fallout with legendary United captain Roy Keane which led to the Irishman’s departure and now Paul Ince has shared his very own story of a falling out with Sir Alex.
Paul Ince explains how he and Sir Alex Ferguson almost fought
Speaking on the Up Front podcast with Simon Jordan, Ince explained how he and Sir Alex were once going at each other.
“We’re at Norwich, Norwich are vying for the title. Now I’ve had a very good game, played really well, last five minutes I get the ball, I try to beat one or two players [but] get caught. That was it.
“So we get into the changing room, everyone’s high-fiving, ‘Well done boys, great result’. He [Sir Alex] comes in [and goes], ‘You! See you?!’
“I’m thinking ‘What’s he going mad for we’ve just won 3-1’. He said, ‘You ain’t Ryan Giggs, you’re not [Andrei] Kanchelskis, you pass the ball, you do this, you do that. I was not prepared when I felt that we’d won, everyone was happy and that’s it.
“So he started effing and blinding, I said, ‘Listen gaffer, you can go ____ yourself!’
“All of a sudden he’s said, ‘Don’t you talk to…’ and then he went for me. And then Brian Kidd stood up, Lee Sharpe stood up and I said, ‘Come on then’. It’s just that red mist descends and I just feel like that was it. Three days later we were fine.”
Current Manchester United squad is different
With conflicts like this being reconciled within three days as Ince mentioned, it makes the falling out between Jadon Sancho and Erik ten Hag look even more ridiculous.
To end Sancho’s time at the club over a call for him to improve in training which wasn’t in the slightest out of order, is silly.
Hopefully, Sancho refinds his confidence with Dortmund and returns, apologises (if Ten Hag hasn’t left) and then can finally make good on his move at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford has shown Manchester United supporters what he is capable of. He just has not been able to produce it on a consistent basis.
This is what fuels the frustration for fans, because we know he can deliver at a higher level than we have seen this season, where he is yet to reach double figures, after scoring 30 last season.
Manager Erik ten Hag has retained faith in Rashford, and there is hope he recovers to his very best, whether this season or next.
Marcus Rashford speculation
Marcus Rashford’s capability to perform at a high level means he is an asset other teams would love to have, with The Mirror reporting Paris Saint-Germain could try and offer a big fee to tempt United into a sale.
And there’s a case. A speculated fee of £75 million would be close to a club record sale, and it would also free Manchester United of Rashford’s £300,000 per week wages.
Ally McCoist told Talksport Rashford would benefit from a move away from the club. Perhaps he would. But Manchester United are stronger with a fully focused forward at the top of his game.
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