Erik ten Hag ‘very happy’ with Marcus Rashford’s response to his abandonment as Manchester United boss says club ‘will strike’ in January transfer window with Luke Shaw not a long-term solution term for centre-back

Erik ten Hag told talkSPORT that Marcus Rashford ‘changed the game’ against Wolves after coming on as a second-half substitute.

The Manchester United star has been in decent form lately, scoring in both his side’s games after the World Cup break, but was dropped on the bench at Molineux after oversleeping and being late for a team meeting.

So it was only fitting that the 25-year-old scored his side’s only and game-winning goal on New Year’s Eve as he redeemed himself and continued his goalscoring streak.

Prior to the game, Ten Hag was reluctant to explain why he dropped Rashford, saying it was “internal discipline”.

But the striker himself revealed the reason after the game, admitting he made a ‘mistake’ and respected the decision to be dropped as he broke ‘team rules’.

After his side secured their 1-0 victory to ensure Man United end 2022 on a high, the Dutchman had a lot to say about his side’s top scorer.

“Very happy with his performance for this game, I think every sub should act like this,” Ten Hag told talkSPORT after the game.

“I think Marcus has definitely changed the game, but Fred has also changed the game, so I’m really happy with my substitutes.”

Asked if he was happy with Rashford’s response to his benching, Ten Hag continued: “I think we have an obligation as football players to always show the right attitude and that. is not always easy because there are so many matches.

“But it’s our job to get the energy, the right focus and to deliver everything you can. 100% is what you have to deliver, physically and mentally.

Man United’s win over relegation-threatened Wolves was enough to see them jump over Tottenham to end the year in the Champions League places.

But Ten Hag believes this is just the start of the club’s rebuilding.

“I’m happy with that but it’s a long way to go so we want to be in a better position by May,” he said. “So now it’s about getting in the right position to win trophies, that’s what we have to work for.”

If Man United are to move beyond last season’s sixth-place finish, they are likely to be active in the next transfer window, given their lack of squad depth has recently been revealed – particularly in when it comes to their centre-backs.

Left-back Luke Shaw has covered this spot in the meantime, but Ten Hag has revealed it won’t be a permanent change, with them set to ‘hit’ in the transfer market.

“We didn’t talk long term, we had a problem last week, he fixed it,” he said. “In Casemiro’s first game, he also did wonderfully.

“He was fielded there twice and tactically it was a good move compared to the way Wolves play.”

He continued: “I think we always have to do better in all aspects of the organization of the club, so we will always look for better.

“If there are opportunities, we will strike.”