Alan Shearer has suggested that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag’s decision to bench Marcus Rashford against Crystal Palace must mean something has happened behind the scenes.
Rashford was a substitute during the goalless draw at Selhurst Park on Saturday despite scoring three goals in the last two games.
Ten Hag had claimed before the match that the decision was down to rotation, with Rashford eventually coming on as a substitute on the hour mark as Manchester United chased an opening goal.
The Manchester United manager has hit back at claims by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp that the decision not to start Rashford hinted at a disciplinary issue, branding the suggestion “crazy”.
Redknapp had highlighted Ten Hag’s comments in a pre-match press conference, where the Dutchman had stressed the importance of Rashford maintaining a proper lifestyle.
Marcus Rashford was dropped to the bench for Manchester United against Crystal Palace on Saturday
Alan Shearer suggested the decision indicated something had happened behind the scenes.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insisted Rashford was named on the bench as part of the rotation
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, host Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer also questioned Ten Hag’s decision.
“It seems, reading between the lines, that there might be some disciplinary issues because he (Ten Hag) said in his press conference that ‘Marcus has to be professional’,” Lineker said.
Shearer replied: ‘Why else would you leave him out?’
‘When you’ve been criticised for things, and I was one of them, for performances, but then you get your goal last weekend, you get another couple in midweek.
“Why did you even think of leaving it out? I’m assuming, and this is an assumption, that it has to be something different.”
Ten Hag had raised the subject of Rashford’s lifestyle before the match, after being asked if the star was regaining some of the form that saw him score 30 goals in the Dutchman’s first season at Old Trafford.
The striker came off the bench as Manchester United pushed for an opening goal on Saturday.
Rashford’s lifestyle had been raised as a topic before the match against Crystal Palace
Rashford missed training after a 12-hour tequila binge in Belfast and went to a club after United lost the Manchester derby in October 2023
The 26-year-old’s form had dipped alarmingly last season after signing a new £300,000-a-week contract, with Ten Hag criticising him for missing training after a 12-hour tequila binge in Belfast and going to a nightclub after United lost the Manchester derby in October.
Ten Hag was asked if Rashford had learned from the experience.
He replied: ‘I think he always knew that, and all players know that, because when your lifestyle is not right you cannot perform.
‘You don’t get to the right levels when you don’t have a good, disciplined life away from Carrington.
‘In the end, he has to do it on his own. He has to fix his life, his attitude in training, his attitude in matches. When he achieves professionalism, he will perform because he is a class player.
“Marcus Rashford knows how to bounce back when things go wrong, how to get his career back on track, his performances. He’s taken control and I think he’s getting back on track. He’s started the season very well, now he has to keep going and progress.”
Redknapp had claimed that “something had happened” between Ten Hag and Rashford
Following the draw against Crystal Palace, Ten Hag criticised the “speculation” following Redknapp’s comments on Sky Sports.
“I’ve already heard the speculations from some experts,” Ten Hag said after the match. “It’s crazy. I would almost say that as a person, you’re not right when you make those speculations if you don’t know what’s going on.”
‘This is just a rotation. We have a lot of games to cover and more than 11 players, but we have to give all their players their chances if they perform well. We will eventually find out and the players who perform better will play more.
“But this has nothing to do with[Rashford]. I’m very happy with Marcus in everything: his defence, his attacking part. He’s scoring at the moment, he’s playing very well. So it has nothing to do with him being on the bench, just with the rotation.”