Erik ten Hag has praised Marcus Rashford’s resilience after the forward’s return to goalscoring form for Manchester United.
Rashford, 26, had gone 12 matches without scoring for his side prior to his goal against Southampton last weekend. He then continued that goalscoring form with a brace against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening.
Speaking ahead of United’s game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Ten Hag commended Rashford’s determination to bounce back after a difficult couple of months.
He said: “I think every player who plays in the Premier League, but definitely in this club, you need some resilience. Not any football career is only the way up, you always go down. You have to deal with it.
“Marcus Rashford has also experienced, he knows when there are setbacks how to get fightback, how to set his career, his performance. he took control of it and I think he is on the way back. He has started the season very well but now he has to continue and to progress.”
Former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff at United alongside Rene Hake in July.
Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in 219 games for United, and Ten Hag spoke on the influence the Dutchman has had on Rashford’s return to goalscoring form.
“He (Rashford) needed some help, by backing him for instance,” Ten Hag said. “At the end of the day, he has to do it by himself. He has to set his life right, his training attitude right, his match attitude right. When he sets his professionalism he will perform because he is a class player.
“I think he always knew, and every player knows because when your lifestyle is not right, you can’t perform. You don’t get the right levels when you don’t have a good and disciplined life away from Carrington.”
Rashford, who has earned 60 caps for England, has not played for his country since the 1-0 defeat to Brazil in March and was a notable absentee from former manager Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.
When asked about Rashford’s chances of returning to the England setup, Ten Hag said: “I think he will always be an option for every manager, but it is not up to me.”
(Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
