Andy Cole urges Ten Hag to drop Man Utd star to take him "out of firing line"

20 October 2023 , 11:03

1046     0

Manchester United legend Andy Cole (Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United legend Andy Cole believes Marcus Rashford should be "taken out of the firing line" following his disappointing start to the new campaign.

Rashford was excellent last season, scoring 30 goals in all competitions, but has struggled to replicate that form this time around with just one goal in 10 games. And Cole, who scored 121 goals for United and helped them win five Premier League titles, believes Ten Hag should drop Rashford from the starting XI.

"When I was a footballer, whenever I lacked belief I wanted to stay in the starting eleven in a bid to regain my confidence," Cole told Betfred. "However, now that I'm retired, I can see why it’s good for some players to be taken out of the firing line.

"If you don't count last season for Marcus and you look at the two seasons prior to that, his form was exactly the same as it is now. You can only ask Marcus what the problem is, but we know that the season before last that he was dealing with some personal issues, which is something that he admitted last year.

"And after how good he was last season, we were all expecting him to kick on again in this current campaign and have the confidence in himself to replicate that form. When you look at Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, you'd never have a conversation about them having an off year.

Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash

"Marcus needs to discover how he can maintain that high level of consistency." Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore suggested Rashford should be axed in favour of Alejandro Garnacho earlier this month, but new United signing Rasmus Hojlund has defended his teammate.

Speaking to Danish newspaper Tipsbladet, Hojlund said of Rashford: "I really like playing with him. He is a world class soccer player. I enjoy playing with a player like him. He's a player I've looked up to, even though he's only a few years older than me.

Marcus Rashford has struggled to replicate last season's form and Cole has suggested he should be dropped (Getty Images)

"He has done well since he came in as a 19-year-old and scored against Midtjylland. I think he has been a great player ever since, and it is of course great that we are team-mates today."

United will be back in action this weekend when they take on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and Rashford has vowed to "kick on" after scoring in England's 3-1 win over Italy on Tuesday, helping them seal qualification for Euro 2024.

"I feel like I am ready to kick on," he told Channel 4 after the game. "It is about winning as many games as possible for me, whether you start or are on the bench. When it is your moment, you have to take it."

Matthew Cooper