Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defends Erik ten Hag over treatment of Marcus Rashford
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has defended Erik ten Hag over his treatment of Marcus Rashford but warned the Manchester United forward that his Belfast bender must act as a "wake-up call" to get him back to his best.
Rashford came under fire after he was left out of the United squad to face Newport in the FA Cup last month - a matter of days after the England international was spotted Belfast for a night out. He failed to report to training due to illness on the Friday leading up to the game, according to boss Ten Hag.
After United's win at Newport, Ten Hag claimed he will "deal with" Rashford and that it was an "internal matter". The 26-year-old was later fined two weeks' wages - around £650,000 - for his actions. Rashford was back in the United starting XI to face Wolves last Thursday and he scored within five minutes of his return.
Rashford then played 90 minutes of the Red Devils' 3-0 victory over West Ham on Sunday and he is expected to start in their next game at Aston Villa. Speaking to Reuters in India, ex-United boss Solskjaer delivered his verdict on Rashford's off-field antics and hopes he has now learned a lesson.
The Norwegian said: "I'm sure he had a wake-up call last week and hopefully that will spur him on. Is it the manager's job to get the best out of him, or is it mostly himself or any player's responsibility to get the best out of yourself? I think that's more it."
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Solskjaer enjoyed his three-year spell working with Rashford at United and was glad to see him return to form last season. Rashford scored 30 times for the Red Devils in all competitions last season, though he has struggled for consistency in 2023/24, striking five goals in 28 matches.
Marcus Rashford (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)"Obviously I managed Marcus for three years and I know him," Solskjaer added. "It's not my job to go out and discuss his performances, but last season he was fantastic and it's about consistency in football. Marcus and many others haven't hit the heights this season."
Rashford has scored 128 goals in 387 appearances since breaking through into the United first-team set up in 2016, but Solskjaer believes there is more to come. "He’s had a fantastic career, some ups and downs," he continued. "Now we hope he’s going to hit that consistency, because I know and we all know there’s a top player there. It’s difficult to be at the top all the time, but it takes sacrifice."
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