Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has taken a subtle swipe at his former Red Devils bosses after starting Erik ten Hag’s reign in excellent form. Rashford took his goal tally to eight for the campaign in Thursday’s 4-2 Carabao Cup triumph against Aston Villa.
The 25-year-old struggled under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangick last term, scoring a meagre five goals. His below-par performances lost him his place in the England squad after Euro 2020 and facing a tough battle to earn a spot back in the team ahead of the World Cup.
Rashford just about won his race to be included in the 26-man squad for the tournament, and he has credited Ten Hag with playing to his strengths. “The manager likes possession football but he is also in favour of letting us go for the kill - and that’s what I am all about,” the attacker told journalists.
“I am enjoying my football again - 100 per-cent. The manager has created a playing style that produces a better quality of chances - and we are really playing forward-thinking football.
Man Utd star Marcus Rashford has made the England World Cup squad due to his good form (Image: GETTY IMAGES)
“So I am enjoying my time under him and hopefully we can carry on. The bottom line is that we dropped points at Aston Villa last weekend and we can’t afford to lose back-to-back games.
“So the game at Fulham is important for us to put in a big performance and get a win. It'll be the last time we play together for a while, so it is important to leave with good energy, positive vibes, and momentum.
“At the same time, if we don't play well, you can't expect to win games - and we have to defend a lot better than we did at Villa. We also have to attack better and create more chances. Hopefully, we can do that.”
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Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has been credited by Marcus Rashford for improving his form (Image: GETTY IMAGES)
United have kept in touch with the top four after a poor start under Ten Hag. The Old Trafford outfit are three points off fourth-place Tottenham with a game in hand.
Rashford believes a World Cup break will be beneficial for the squad so that they can go on an assault of the Champions League places after Christmas. He added: “Everyone at United is excited again. We have had a start that has been really good at times and not so good at other times. But that is part and parcel of the development of a squad. It’s not going to happen overnight.
“The type of football we play is very physically demanding and I think a break for the World Cup will be good for us. We want to come back at the end of December and be full of energy and really take the games head on.
“Top-four is possible. Why not? We’re not in a bad position at the moment. It’s quite tight, and we just have to concentrate on ourselves and keep improving.”