Paul Scholes was baffled by Erik ten Hag’s decision to drop Marcus Rashford from the Manchester United starting XI, convinced the forward ‘has been up to something’.
Rashford ended a 12-game run without a goal when he found the net in the 3-0 win over Southampton following September’s international break.
The 26-year-old scored a superb brace in the 7-0 demolition job on Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, showing off the driving runs and cool finishing – albeit against weaker opposition – that helped him hit 30 goals in his superb 2022-23 campaign.
Rashford, who had started each of United’s games this season but was a shock omission from the side that took on Crystal Palace on Saturday evening. Explaining his decision, ten Hag insisted it was simply down to squad rotation, with Alejandro Garnacho coming in for just his second league start of the season.
Rashford came on for the final 29 minutes at Selhurst Park but United legend Scholes is not buying ten Hag’s rotation argument and suggested his omission could have been a discipline issue.
‘Leaving Rashford out on Saturday… he’s been up to something hasn’t he?’ Scholes told The Overlap Fan Debate.
‘Come on. He’s not scored for such a long time, all of a sudden he comes and scores three goals in two games, and now he’s not playing? He’s said it was rotation but come on, do me a favour, no chance.’
Ten Hag’s decision was challenged by Jamie Redknapp last Saturday night with the Sky Sports pundit also suggesting ‘something has happened’ between player and manager.
The United boss described Redknapp’s comments as ‘crazy’, but another former United star in Rio Ferdinand who feared the decision will have ‘confused’ Rashford.
When you’ve got a man in form like Marcus Rashford, who’s coming into a bit of form and momentum which is key for any player and their confidence, I’m thinking is it the right time now to rotate?
‘We’re creating chances and you take out the guy who is actually starting to score. I just look at that and think, wow.
‘It was pleasing to see the manager come out and say it was rotation, nothing else, because there was some murmurings around it.
‘But Marcus Rashford man, I think he will be sitting there thinking “I’ve just hit a bit of form and they’ve taken me out.” That confuses me, it’s confusing.
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