Man Utd draw up 'five man shortlist' as Marcus Rashford gets passionate defence

Manchester United are just a matter of hours away from their huge FA Cup final with local rivals Manchester City, The Red Devils have plenty on the line at Wembley, with bragging rights, European football and potentially Erik ten Hag’s future all on the line.

United did not secure European football through the Premier League, and only a win at Wembley will be enough to secure a spot in the Europa League. In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news surrounding Old Trafford.

Onana defends Rashford

Andre Onana has launched a passionate defence of his teammate Marcus Rashford amid criticism over the forward’s form. He told ESPN: "How many goals did he score last season? How many goals did he score this season?

“We are talking about the same player. He's a bad player? So last season he was good, this season he is bad? No. It is just a moment. You can have a bad season, you can have a bad start. But the most important thing is how you end, and Rashy, for me, is one of the best players in the world. But he is facing difficulty, like us, not only him and me, but the whole club. And he will come back, and I know my killer will score some important goals for us. Hopefully Saturday he will score two and we win the FA Cup."

United ‘shortlist’

Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford is far from certain, and with question marks heading into the FA Cup final, the Red Devils have reportedly drafted a five-man shortlist of potential replacements. The Guardian claim Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter are all on the list.

Tuchel has just left Bayern Munich and Pochettino Chelsea. McKenna has taken Ipswich Town from the Championship to the Premier League but he is reportedly being considered by Chelsea. Frank has endured a tricky season with Brentford, while Potter was most recently at Chelsea, struggling to control a crowded dressing room.

Guardiola on Ten Hag

Pep Guardiola has revealed he has sympathy with Ten Hag and the issues he has faced this season as Manchester United manager.

“So, in big clubs like United, City, when you don’t win always you are in trouble. It’s not a secret,” he said. “When he have done what we have done, I would be in trouble if we don’t win. This is not a big issue.

“[Ten Hag] has done very good things I have huge respect for his jobs in the past and now in United. I completely agree when I listen to him and he says that they were not a full squad, they were not, the whole squad, ready all season. They had a lot of injuries. This the the reason why and I think it’s the most important thing they need to think about because even in my case I am focused on that. You have to be fit, fit, fit otherwise you cannot use the players.

“They have a lot of problems and then the manager suffers a lot, because the squad is really good. I think the problem is when they are injured you cannot use them. This is a big disadvantage.”