Paul Scholes was perplexed by Erik ten Hag’s decision to remove Marcus Rashford from Manchester United’s starting lineup, believing the attacker ‘had been up to something’.
Rashford scored in a 3-0 win over Southampton during the international break in September, breaking a 12-game goal drought.
The 26-year-old scored a wonderful brace in the Carabao Cup’s 7-0 annihilation of Barnsley, demonstrating the driving runs and slick finishing – although against inferior competition – that helped him score 30 goals in his outstanding 2022-23 season.
Rashford, who has started every game for United this season, was an unexpected withdrawal from the team that faced Crystal Palace on Saturday evening. Ten Hag explained his choice, insisting that it was merely a matter of squad rotation, with Alejandro Garnacho making only his second league start of the season.
Rashford came on for the last 29 minutes at Selhurst Park, but United icon Scholes isn’t buying ten Hag’s rotation excuse, claiming his exclusion may have been due to disciplinary issues.
“Leaving Rashford out on Saturday…he’s been up to something, hasn’t he?” Scholes spoke on The Overlap Fan Debate.
Come on. He hadn’t scored in a long time, and then he comes in and scores three goals in two games, and now he’s not playing. He said it was rotation, but come on, do me a favor; no chance.
Jamie Redknapp questioned Ten Hag’s choice last Saturday night, implying’something has transpired’ between the player and manager.
When you have a player in form like Marcus Rashford, who is gaining momentum and confidence, I wonder whether now is the time to rotate.
‘We’re creating opportunities, and you take away the player who is actually starting to score. I just look at that and think, “Wow.”
‘It was encouraging to see the manager come out and say it was just rotation, since there had been some speculation.
‘But Marcus Rashford, I believe he will be sitting there thinking, “I’ve just hit a bit of form, and they’ve taken me out.” That puzzles me, it is puzzling.
