Marcus Rashford injury fears allayed after Man Utd star's early semi-final exit
Erik ten Hag insisted that Marcus Rashford is fine after the Manchester United forward was withdrawn early in the second-half of Wednesday night's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Rashford, who scored after just six minutes in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie, was replaced by Alejandro Garnacho shortly after he was caught in the chest with an elbow in the 57th minute. United added goals from Wout Weghorst and Bruno Fernandes to put Forest to the sword ahead of next week's return leg.
Rashford's withdrawal had sparked fears that United's in-form striker had picked up an issue following his collision. However, Ten Hag claimed that the 25-year-old's early substitution was pre-planned and that the England international is OK.
Speaking about the incident after the match, the Dutchman told Sky Sports: "We had already planned the substitute. Marcus Rashford did his job and scored another goal so we were in a good position.
"Alejandro Garnacho is really hungry to play games and to get minutes and also to come into the team."
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After plundering 10 goals in his last 10 games, Rashford has been influential in Manchester United's recent run of form and Ten Hag is likely to lean heavily on the versatile forward in the coming weeks.
Ten Hag lavished plenty of praise on his "unstoppable" star forward after the match - and Rashford was also lauded by Old Trafford icon Roy Keane, who paid tribute to the work and dedication that the academy graduate has put in over the past few months.
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Rashford suffered a blow to the chest before being substituted (Matt West/REX/Shutterstock)
Erik ten Hag has insisted that Marcus Rashford is fine after his early withdrawal (Twitter/@footballdaily)After branding Rashford a "lean, fighting machine" Keane told Sky Sports: "Sometimes it's about confidence - there is where he's peaking now. He's played a lot of games for United and big games for England in the last few years.
"Sometimes the penny drops for a player in terms of decision-making and putting the ball in the back of the net. And they've needed him.
"The question mark I've had over Marcus in the last few years is, has he got that personality to step up to the plate?
"United have had some great strikers over the years, and I think they need someone like that. Marcus has to say he wants that responsibility to be the main man. The best players turn up week in and week out. It looks like he's now enjoying that responsibility, which is great to see."
Manchester United and Rashford are set to face Reading in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday evening before playing out the second leg of their League Cup semi-final against Forest at Old Trafford next Wednesday.
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