A SKY SPORTS pundit reckons “obviously something’s happened” after Marcus Rashford was left out of Manchester United’s team at Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils forward looked to have turned a corner after scoring three goals in his side’s last two matches.
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Rashford netted in last weekend’s 3-0 win at Southampton.
And he bagged a brace in the midweek 7-0 Carabao Cup victory against Barnsley.
But Rashford did not get the opportunity to keep his fine form going at Crystal Palace today.
The left-winger was named on the bench for the clash at Selhurst Park, with Alejandro Garnacho instead getting a start.
And Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp claimed before kick-off that “something happened” between Rashford and boss Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman revealed in this week’s press conference that Rashford’s poor performances last season were down to his lifestyle after the ace scored just eight times in 43 apppearances.
Ten Hag said: “Probably he needed some help, by backing him for instance. At the end of the day, he has to do it by himself.
“He has to set his life right, his training attitude right, his match attitude right. When he sets his professionalism he will perform because he is a class player.
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“I think he always knew, and every player knows, because when your lifestyle is not right, you can’t perform.
“You don’t get the right levels when you don’t have a good and disciplined life away from Carrington.”
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Redknapp took those words to mean that a clash had potentially ensued between Ten Hag and Rashford ahead of the Palace game, leading to his appearance on the bench.
Redknapp said live on Sky Sports: “It feels like something has gone untoward. You don’t drop a player that’s scored two in midweek and Southampton.
“I’d be nervous to say he’s back but he’s certainly showing signs of the energy a few years ago.
“It feels something has happened this week, the manager’s frustration…
“It’s unusual for a manager to come out and out a player by talking about their lifestyle.
“Something over the last year hasn’t been right with Rashford. If you want to live right and play right you’ve got to be at it all the time.
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“There’s no doubting his talent but when the manager talks about not being professional, you can’t have that, it’s not acceptable.
“There’s obviously something that’s happened, but for Rashford to have that labelled against him is not ideal either.”
Speaking before kick-off, Ten Hag dismissed the notion of a bust-up with Rashford and explained he had simply been rotated out of the team to rest.
Ten Hag said: “We need to rotate, no one can play all the games.
“Garnacho has had end product and hasn’t started. He needs starts, rotation is good.
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“Is it difficult to bench Rashford? No because you need to rotate.
“Nobody can play every game and Garnacho also needs to start to continue to improve.”
