Manchester United

Marcus Rashford 'loses faith in Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 11 December 2023

Marcus Rashford 'loses faith in Erik ten Hag'

Marcus Rashford is reportedly among the Manchester United players to have lost faith in Erik ten Hag's methods amid talk of a dressing room revolt.

The 53-year-old boasted plenty of domestic and continental pedigree on his CV from his time at Ajax, leading the Dutch giants to the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League and winning three Eredivisie titles.

Ten Hag also oversaw the development of celebrated talents such as Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, and after being hired by the Red Devils as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's permanent successor, he immediately laid down a marker in English football.

Ten Hag's first season at the Old Trafford helm saw him steer Man United back into the Champions League with a third-placed Premier League ranking, as well as ending their six-year trophy drought in the EFL Cup as he laid down his strict, authoritarian approach.

However, the Dutchman has faced incessant claims of unrest amid a troubled start to the 2023-24 season, in which the Red Devils have already lost their grip on the EFL Cup crown while losing seven of their opening 16 Premier League games, including a 3-0 embarrassment at home to Bournemouth at the weekend.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts on December 2, 2023 © Reuters

The Red Devils have also lost three of their five Champions League matches so far, and even if they beat Bayern Munich on Tuesday, they will be eliminated from the competition if there is a winner in Galatasaray and Copenhagen's showdown.

While Ten Hag - who is under contract until 2025 - is not thought to be in immediate danger of the sack, it has been alleged that a group of players have blamed his unforgiving training regime on their disappointing results in the early portion of the campaign.

The ex-Ajax manager has apparently turned down requests for more rest days from his beleaguered crop, although the vast majority of players are still on his side and have faith in him to turn the club's fortunes around.

However, Football Insider claims that Rashford is among the contingent who no longer have any faith in the manager, whose tactics and training methods have been criticised by the Englishman.

Ten Hag convinced Rashford to stay at the club last summer, and the 26-year-old reignited his career with 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 games, but he has managed just two strikes and four assists from 20 matches this time around.

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on December 2, 2023 © Reuters

The attacker was also blasted for a mediocre display in Man United's loss to Newcastle United two weekends ago, and he has been dropped to the bench for the Red Devils' last two top-flight contests with Chelsea and Bournemouth.

It remains to be seen whether Rashford will be brought back into the lineup for Tuesday's contest with Bayern, having served a Champions League ban in last month's 3-3 draw with Galatasaray.

Rashford fell foul of Ten Hag's cut-throat approach in December, being dropped from the XI for a clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers for being late to a team meeting, only to score the winner off the bench.

Fellow high-profile names Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane have also fallen out of favour under Ten Hag, who banished the former from the first-team group after effectively being called a liar by the winger in September.

Meanwhile, Varane has been demoted by the resurgent Harry Maguire in recent weeks, but he apparently has no desire to seek an exit from the club during the January transfer window.