‘It’s the truth’ - Erik ten Hag makes worrying Marcus Rashford & Man Utd admission

Erik ten Hag has admitted Manchester United are over-reliant on Marcus Rashford’s goal contribution.

The attacker once again netted on Wednesday night as the Red Devils beat Brentford 1-0 at Old Trafford, the 10th time this season he has scored the winning goal for his boyhood club in the league. His strike after 27 minutes was the first goal United had scored in the league since winning the Carabao Cup, while 19 February was the last time a player other than Rashford scored in the league for the Red Devils.

While Ten Hag is thrilled with the 28 goals the England international has netted in all competitions this term, he has admitted other players must start improving their personal tallies. Asked if he’s concerned about United being too dependent on Rashford, Ten Hag replied. “Yeah, it’s the truth.

“But also we know other players can score as well: Bruno, Antony scored a couple of goals, Jadon Sancho can score, Marcel Sabitzer can score,” he added. “We have many more players across the squad who can score. What you want as a squad is that you have two players who can score more than 12 or 15 goals a season.”

Rashford started as a central striker against Brentford and had some bright moments without putting in an outstanding display. Speaking after the game, Ten Hag said he was impressed with the 25-year-old’s all-round performance.

“He played a very good game,” said the United boss. “He came out of the frontline, we used him as a target, and he was back in the box where we expect him to be, so he was in the right moment to finish. It was from a corner but ok the cooperation between him and Marcel Sabitzer was very good, but also with Jadon and Antony. It was very good so I was happy with the front four.”

The win at Old Trafford saw United move back above Tottenham Hotspur and into fourth place. Next up for Ten Hag’s side is a clash against Everton on Saturday in the Premier League, before attention turns back to European action.