Five players whose Man Utd careers ten Hag can revive
Manchester United have already started their summer clearout ahead of the Erik ten Hag era. But Marcus Rashford is one player who won’t be leaving Old Trafford, despite being linked with Tottenham. And it’ll be fascinating to see where he’s deployed under the Dutchman, having previously insisted the left-wing is his favoured position.
Rashford toiled last time out, scoring just five times across all competitions amid a chastening campaign under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
But he won’t be going anywhere this summer, with the Red Devils eager to retain the services of the 24-year-old.
Ten Hag will be the new manager of United next season, having fended off competition from Mauricio Pochettino to land the role at Old Trafford.
And there’s been talk of the Dutchman potentially using Rashford as a No 9 when he starts work in Manchester.
However, the United star previously said in 2020 that he enjoyed playing on the left wing - as opposed to up top.
Man Utd star Marcus Rashford is set to play under Erik ten Hag (Image: GETTY)
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And that’s because he feels he can make more of a difference there, enabling him to get on the ball more.
“When you are on the left, you can create a lot more things on your own, giving that little bit more to the team,” he said at the time.
“Whereas when you are playing up front, sometimes you are isolated and need someone in midfield who can find passes for 90 minutes of a game, so you can disappear in games sometimes as a number nine.
“When I transitioned to a number nine when I was younger, that's the bit that I struggled with as I was always someone who wanted to express myself on the ball.
“When I started playing number nine, I realised that you don't see the ball as often as you do in other positions, but when you do see the ball, it's an opportunity to score goals.
“That's what I loved about being a number nine and that's what I still love about it.
“But right now I'm enjoying having the freedom to mix between the two - and I think it suits us well at the moment as Anthony [Martial] likes to drift to the left and drop deep as well.”
It’ll be fascinating to see what United now decide.
Rashford is approaching the prime years of his career and, in the past, has established himself as one of the best young players on the planet.
But, now, the onus is on everybody involved to get the England international back to his best.