Erik ten Hag says he is “calm, composed and confident” of Manchester United goals with Marcus Rashford in the team.
The 26-year-old scored twice in United’s seven-goal victory over Barnsley in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup match, just three days after he scored away to Southampton in the Premier League — his first club goal since March.
Rashford scored just eight goals across all competitions in the 2023-24 season having netted 30 times the previous campaign but Ten Hag insists he has always been confident in his goal return.
“In my first season also he had this vibe and in that good mood,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports after the match.
“When I see this team with Marcus Rashford, I am calm, I am composed and I am confident that he will score.
“Last season was difficult for everyone (not just Marcus), but we ended with a trophy. We cannot forget this experience but by the end we hit our targets, and this season we want to be progress and be better. This is true both as a team but all the individual players.
“Tonight, I saw all the players were hungry and looking for goals.”
When asked about Rashford’s confidence in his post match press conference, Ten Hag added: “Confidence is a big part of it, but it is not everything.
“Rashford is a big guy who has scored so many goals, he is on the list of United’s top scorers, he is top of it but you are as good as your last game and every time you have to prove it. The biggest guys, the biggest football players, when they are not scoring, they drop in performance, it doesn’t matter who.”
Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen also scored two goals each in United’s victory, while Antony scored from the penalty spot.
(Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
