Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed his reason for dropping Marcus Rashford for Saturday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The 26-year-old was noticeably not among the Red Devils' starters for the showdown with Oliver Glasner's side, in spite of his successful week in the Premier League and EFL Cup.
After opening his account for the Premier League season against Southampton last weekend, Rashford scored two of his own and set up another during the 7-0 obliteration of Barnsley in midweek.
Ahead of the clash with Palace, Ten Hag made reference to the attacker's "attitude" and "lifestyle" as he hit the headlines for the right reasons again, following his Belfast nightclub controversy last season.
Rashford was therefore expected to reprise his role in the Man United attack for the showdown with the Eagles, but instead, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo were chosen to support Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee instead.
Ten Hag: 'Dropping Rashford was not difficult'
© Reuters
However, speaking to Sky Sports News ahead of the game, Ten Hag insisted that he only demoted Rashford to the bench due to the need for rotation amid a hectic schedule, insisting that Garnacho needs minutes in his legs.
When asked if it was difficult to drop the in-form Rashford for Garnacho, Ten Hag replied: "No, was not a difficult decision. We have to rotate, we have so many games to cover, and we have to give Alejandro games.
"As we have all seen, he [Garnacho] has a lot of end product, so many goals, so many assists, but often as a sub. Also he needs starts, and he's started only one time this season."
Ten Hag has not been shy to drop Rashford for disciplinary reasons in the past, memorably benching him for a clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers in December 2022 after he was late to a team meeting.
Despite the Dutchman's affirmations that Rashford being demoted to the bench was purely due to the busy schedule, ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool man Jamie Redknapp believes that something has gone on behind the scenes.
Redknapp: 'Diesel cannot go into Rashford Ferrari engine'
© Imago
"It feels like something untoward. I don't know the details but you don't drop a player that has just scored two in midweek, who scored against Southampton," Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
"I'd be nervous to say he's back, but he's definitely showing signs of the energy that we saw of the Marcus Rashford of two years ago. It feels that something has maybe happened this week, I don't know the manager's frustrations.
"It's unusual for a manager to come out and almost out a player by talking about their lifestyle. I always think about the great Manchester United managers, Sir Alex Ferguson, he would never do it, but Ten Hag has done it on occasion and it's not always beneficial to the players.
"Something over the last year or so hasn't been right with Marcus Rashford. I don't know how he lives his lifestyle, but the manager's alluded to it's not being in the right way. You can't put diesel in a Ferrari engine. There's obviously something that's happened in Ten Hag's defence."
Rashford is still contracted to Man United until the summer of 2028, having signed a long-term extension on the back of his productive 2022-23 campaign.
Ben Knapton
