Erik ten Hag sends warning to Marcus Rashford following a remarkable 10-shot failure
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has told Marcus Rashford that he needs to be more clinical.
Despite having 10 shots on goal, Rashford failed to score in United’s last-gasp Europa League victory over Omonia Nicosia.
The Manchester United striker is still hoping to sneak into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, and Ten Hag believes he needs to be more ruthless.
“He did a lot of things well, but finally he knows that he has to be more clinical and he had to score a goal,” said Ten Hag.
“When you have such good movements and make such good combinations, good actions, then you have to finish.
“I know sometimes it’s the way the game is, it’s not your night and it’s about the form of the day, but it can change in another game. I think he’s in a really good run, that shows in the chances he creates. Now it’s two games where he’s been a little unlucky. On Sunday against Everton he deserved a goal, but they cancelled it. On Thursday he didn’t score. I say save it for the coming week.”
United’s scoring form has been patchy this season, with 19 goals from 12 games compared to 44 from Manchester City, 32 from Liverpool, 29 from Arsenal, and 25 from Tottenham.
Rashford leads United in goals with five, followed by Anthony Martial, who could return from a hip injury against Newcastle tomorrow at Old Trafford, Antony and Jadon Sancho, who each have three.
Ten Hag is unconcerned about the situation and insists that he has players capable of scoring more than 20 goals.
“Yes, I’m confident, mostly,” he said. “In my teams, there are players who will score. They get into positions, and it’s also about the freedom for the player, the intuition, the spaces they have to take up. When they have that feeling, then you will see that when they have the talent, when they have the potential, they will score that number of goals.
“I think we have in our squad players who can score that number of goals. But you can also divide it because we have many goalscorers across the offensive department. I think we also need something from the midfield and the defensive departments.”
Antony has increased United’s goal tally, and he is the first Reds player to score in his first three Premier League games.
Ten Hag had already honed his talent at Ajax before United paid £86 million to reunite them at Old Trafford, and the Dutchman believes he still has a lot to learn.
“I think we’ve seen his dribbling capabilities, his speed, his finishing, his creating,” he said. “Now he has to work on more variation. He is a player who can adapt quickly to a high level. He’s a player who likes challenges, he needs challenges. Every training for him is a challenge, every game is a challenge and that will bring the best out of him. He likes that.
“I think there’s a lot of space for improvement with him, but he’s already at a really good level. He’s the first player to score three in a row for Man United in all history. That already shows his potential.”
Erik ten Hag sends warning to Marcus Rashford following a remarkable 10-shot failure
