Erik ten Hag called Marcus Rashford’s trip to a nightclub after their Manchester derby defeat “unacceptable” but says the striker has apologised.
The forward is badly out of form, with just one goal in 14 games for United this season but was seen partying to celebrate his birthday hours after his side lost to Manchester City 3-0 at Old Trafford.
“Yes, I am aware of it, I spoke with him about it,” said Ten Hag in his press conference on Friday. “It’s unacceptable. I told him. He apologised. And that’s it. For the rest it’s an internal matter.”
It’s not the first time Rashford has drawn Ten Hag’s ire for an off-field incident. Last season he was left out of the starting line-up for a Premier League game at Wolves because he overslept and arrived late to a team meeting.
However, Ten Hag firmly rejected suggestions those lapses mean Rashford is not matching the standards set by the United boss.
“Your suggestion is not right,” Ten Hag said. “He’s fitting in [with Ten Hag’s policies]. He’s very motivated to put things right. I know which effort he’s putting in. He’s totally with us.
“He makes a mistake but it doesn’t say he isn’t fitting in. I see him every day, on the training, what he’s doing, I know. Make one mistake. But also, off the pitch what he’s doing, how he lives and I’m sure he’s doing everything right to help the team to perform and to let us win.”
Ten Hag: Not right to question players’ character
Erik ten Hag defends his coaching philosophy and why his side are ‘clear’ on their intentions, following back-to-back 3-0 defeats at Old Trafford
Ten Hag’s comments on Rashford were part of a press conference in which he had to defend the character of his squad, who had been booed off on Wednesday when the Manchester derby defeat was followed by another 3-0 loss at Old Trafford to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.
The United boss said it is not right to question his players’ character, despite the team losing eight of their first 15 matches this season.
Former captain Gary Neville described the team’s performances as “woeful”. Paul Merson told Sky Sports this week he believes Ten Hag has “lost the players” but when asked whether his squad lacked the required spirit, the Dutchman insisted: “That’s not right.”
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher clash on what the problems are at Manchester United following a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to local rivals Manchester City and where the blame lies after a lack of progress
Ten Hag pointed to the two late goals United scored to win at home against Brentford last month, saying: “If there wasn’t spirit and characters in the dressing room, we couldn’t do this.”
The former Ajax boss – who joined United in the summer of 2022 – said the response from his players to their recent results has been “positive”, adding: “They want to put this right. We know the standards here.
“We have to match the standards, every day. We have had two big setbacks but this dressing room is strong, the staff is strong and this manager is strong.”
Man Utd are back in action at Fulham on Saturday lunchtime and you can follow the game with our live blog from 11am, with kick-off at 12.30pm. You can watch free highlights across Sky Sports’ digital platforms from 5.15pm.
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