15 January 2024 , 20:33
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Marcus Rashford has revealed the motive behind his new goal celebration after facing criticism from Roy Keane.
Rashford scored five minutes before half-time to help United retake the lead against Tottenham on Sunday. Rasmus Hojlund had opened the scoring for the Red Devils three minutes into the Premier League clash, but Richarlison equalised to peg them back.
England international Rashford then performed a rapid one-two with Hojlund before firing the ball into the far corner. He celebrated by gesturing a mouth with his hand, appearing to hit out at the criticism directed at him and his team-mates during their struggles this season.
And that celebration was criticised by legendary United skipper Keane after Rodrigo Bentancur scored to claim a draw for Spurs. Keane insisted that Rashford needed to up his performance levels and questioned why he had made the gesture.
"I don’t know what that is all about. We need to see more, he's showed it before, he's got the quality. Why does he seem to be upset with everybody? He's got to go and enjoy it he's playing for Man United," Keane told Sky Sports.
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"He simplified his game [today]. He's obviously been told by his manager, the coaching staff that when we are in possession, in space, to start running into the space when teams get stretched, and when he’s doing that, he’s hard to stop."
Rashford has now responded to Keane's criticism though, insisting that his gesture was in response to those who called him out for being disloyal to United for commenting on Jadon Sancho's Instagram post confirming his move back to Borussia Dortmund.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Did Marcus Rashford deserve criticism for his celebration? Comment below.
Roy Keane had slammed Rashford for his celebration (Sky Sports)Sancho had been exiled from United boss Erik ten Hag's first-team squad over disciplinary issues and has been sent to spend the remainder of the season in Germany. Rashford commented 'Yesirrrrr' alongside a heart on a picture posted by Sancho of him taking part in Dortmund training.
That sparked criticism from United fans that he was being disloyal to Ten Hag by supporting Sancho, following the winger's run-ins with the Dutchman. But Rashford has now dismissed those claims.
A United fan posted an explanation online, saying: "He's clearly referring to the abuse he's been subjected to this week since he commented on Sancho's post. They literally questioned his loyalty and commitment to us, and he did shut them up by scoring AND assisting. If he didn't score, he's s****, if he does it's this BS."
Rashford confirmed that suggestion, replying: "Thank you for clarifying this matter." His goal against Spurs saw him overtake the iconic Brian McClair in United's all-time goalscoring charts, with Ten Hag hoping the attacker continues his fledging partnership with Hojlund.
"I hope they keep going with this progress. You see they are coming up with routines – that is what you need. You need it everywhere but especially in the front line, where there are tight areas and quick decisions have to be made," he said.
"In a split second you need the right decisions, so you need that intuition. When your front players are not scoring, it goes through the whole team. So when you can put out Garnacho, Hojlund and Rashford, and then Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen, it must be a threat."