Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes Marcus Rashford has faced “too much negativity” recently but expects the goals to come like ketchup from a bottle, following the striker’s goal in their 3-0 win at Southampton.
Rashford, 26, netted his team’s second goal at St Mary’s, marking his first goal since March, when he scored in a 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup. The England forward had been criticized after United’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool in the Premier League before the international break, but Ten Hag felt the criticism was unjust.
“There was too much negativity towards him,” said the United boss. “It’s important we don’t pay attention to the outside world. He created two great chances in that game [against Liverpool], and in other games this season, he’s played very well.”
Ten Hag praised Rashford’s efforts, saying, “He deserved that goal [against Southampton], but he had to work for it. That’s what he’s been doing, and when you work like that, you get rewarded.”
Having scored 132 goals for United during nearly a decade at the club, Ten Hag is confident that Rashford will continue to find the back of the net. Borrowing an analogy once used by Cristiano Ronaldo, Ten Hag added, “Once a striker was talking about a ketchup bottle—once it’s going, more will come. Rashford has already scored so many goals for Manchester United, and at his age, the number is incredible. I’m sure he’ll score many more.”
