pgzen Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says Erik ten Hag’s decision to bench Marcus Rashford in their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace was confusing for the player. pgzen

    The England forward had impressed in his previous two games, scoring three goals and providing one assist, but was only a substitute at Selhurst Park, with Ten Hag saying after the game that it was simply a matter of rotation, given the back-to-back fixtures. ( pgzen )

    However, Ferdinand said dropping a player who was performing well was confusing for the players, although he was relieved it was not a departure from the team for other reasons.

    “When it comes to rotation after the Palace game, Man United are third in terms of xG (goal-scoring opportunities) behind only Man City and Liverpool,” Rio told his YouTube channel.

    “They’re creating chances but not scoring goals. When you have a player in form like Marcus Rashford, who’s in good form and has good momentum, it’s important for all the players and their confidence. I’m thinking is it the right time to rotate players?”

    “We created chances and you take players out who can really score goals. I just looked at it and thought, huh – it’s okay that the manager said it was rotation, nothing else because there were rumours around.

    “But for Marcus Rashford, I think he sits there and thinks, ‘I’ve just had a good performance and they’ve taken me out of the team’. That’s confusing to me. It’s really confusing.”

    “But again, Garnacho is one of the most efficient players and can cause damage to the opposition very well. Amad Diallo also played well, so it’s a difficult one.”