Ten Hag blamed as Man Utd star warned he'd play at Euros 'if he was at Man City'
Former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has blamed Erik ten Hag for Marcus Rashford's Manchester United slump, suggesting the England international's Euro 2024 spot is now at risk.
Rashford rediscovered his top form under Ten Hag last season, scoring 30 goals in all competitions. He has found things tougher this time around, though, struggling in front of goal and earning a costly red card in the Champions League defeat against Copenhagen.
The 26-year-old started for England against Malta on Friday, but few members of Gareth Southgate's squad thrived in an uninspiring 2-0 win. Sherwood has been keeping an eye on Rashford this season, and isn't optimistic about his international hopes.
"No, not a chance," Sherwood said on Soccer Saturday (via Metro ) when asked if Rashford should start for England at the Euros in Germany. "And he can thank his manager for playing his way out of the England team, unfortunately.
"I think if he was at Man City now he’s got all the attributes to be a world-class player and make the team. I think there’s not going to be a turnaround between now and the end of the season, unfortunately. I think he can thank Ten Hag for that because it’s not been good enough.
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"For me, Jack Grealish has to be there, I’ve worked with Jack, I know what he’s like but for Phil Foden not to be in this starting line-up is criminal. Both of these players have to be in the team, we have to build teams around players with ability like this."
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Marcus Rashford started for England against Malta on Friday (Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)Rashford played the first hour against Malta before being forced off following a collision with team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold. The injury initially looked bad, but England manager Gareth Southgate played down its severity.
"I think he is probably okay," Southgate said of the United star. "We just thought given the nature of the collision it was a chance to get Cole [Palmer] into the game. I haven’t assessed too much but I think he was okay when he came off."
England had already secured top spot in their group before Malta came to Wembley, but Southgate still named a strong squad in the knowledge that there isn't much time for him to cast an eye over the players before next summer's Euros.
An early own goal from Enrico Pepe gave England a half-time lead, with captain Harry Kane adding a second after the break. It wasn't a vintage performance from Southgate's side, though, and the manager recognised as much.
"It was one of those days where the players knew they could win the game at a canter and we didn't really extend ourselves as much as we normally would," he added. "They are playing so many matches and have done such a brilliant job, so I am not going to hammer them for that."
England will take on North Macedonia on Monday in their final qualifier. The top five ranked group winners will guarantee themselves a top seeding for the tournament - along with hosts Germany - and England are among a handful of unbeaten sides with one round of games remaining.
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