Legendary former manager impressed by Marcus Rashford’s form but cautions against overreliance on the forward
Sir Alex Ferguson, the iconic former manager of Manchester United, has recently weighed in on the team’s current state and their need for another source of goals to support their top scorer, Marcus Rashford. The comment came following United’s recent Carabao Cup final victory over Newcastle, which marked their first trophy win in six years.
Ferguson, who was in attendance at the match and invited to the celebrations by new boss Erik ten Hag, praised Rashford’s current form but expressed caution against relying too heavily on the forward for goals. Rashford has scored six of United’s last 13 goals in all competitions, and although he thought he had scored his 25th goal of the season during the final, it was later ruled as an own goal by Newcastle defender Sven Botman.
“He is fantastic, his finishing is always good and he always keeps his shots down which is really important for a striker,” Ferguson said. However, he also noted that “unfortunately for us, he’s the main source of goals, we could do with an extra one. But he is doing it.”
Since Ferguson’s retirement nearly a decade ago, United have struggled to find a manager who could continue his legacy of winning trophies while playing an attractive brand of football. However, under new boss Erik ten Hag, the feel-good factor appears to have returned to Old Trafford, and the recent Carabao Cup win could be just the start of a trophy-laden spell for the team.
Ten Hag, who was previously at Ajax, has brought his own style to United and has already shown himself to be a decisive and effective manager. Despite having to make big decisions like the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and dropping club captain Harry Maguire from the starting XI, he has changed the culture at the club and his switch from Ajax is already paying off.
“Maybe it was a risk [to take this job] but I am a little bit stubborn. I just love United,” Ten Hag said. “When I see our shirts, when I see the boundary with the fans, when I see Old Trafford, when I see the legacy Sir Alex [Ferguson] left and so many big players that were developed in United teams it makes a big impression.”
Ten Hag also expressed his desire to make his own history with the team, saying that “we want to do the same, this team wants to make its own history and its own legacy. When this opportunity came I thought this was the right club for me.”
Gary Neville, a former Manchester United player and now a pundit, praised Ten Hag’s transformation of the team from “whiners into winners.” He noted that there are players on the team who previously should not have played for Manchester United again, but under Ten Hag’s leadership they are now performing at a high level. Neville also highlighted Ten Hag’s good decision-making during matches, with his substitutions being critical in ensuring that the team saw out their recent victory.
Overall, it appears that Manchester United is on an upward trajectory under Ten Hag’s leadership. However, as Sir Alex Ferguson has pointed out, the team still needs to find another reliable source of goals to support Marcus Rashford and continue their winning streak.
