Marcus Rashford has had his shot at Man Utd redemption but hasn't taken it – now Erik ten Hag should be as ruthless with him as with Casemiro and bench both

GOAL
Richard Martin

OpinionManchester UnitedM. RashfordA. DialloPremier LeagueManchester United vs LiverpoolFEATURES

The striker looked lost against Liverpool and the time has come for Amad Diallo to take his place in the Red Devils attack

Manchester United fans do not usually boo their own players, even during an atrocious defeat like Sunday's trouncing by Liverpool. But lately they have been making their displeasure heard at Erik ten Hag's substitutions.

In the previous season, the Dutchman faced severe criticism for substituting Rasmus Hojlund with Anthony Martial during the match against Brighton. He encountered a similar backlash when he replaced the Danish striker with Amad Diallo in a late campaign against Burnley.

Martial has now left the club and Hojlund was injured for the Liverpool clash, but boos still rang out when Ten Hag made his second change after ruthlessly hauling Casemiro off for Toby Collyer, bringing on Amad for Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentina international is still in his honeymoon period with United fans, but he was not playing well at all against Liverpool.

The reaction, therefore, could only be interpreted as them venting their fury that Marcus Rashford was remaining on the pitch. Rashford had scored in two of his previous three games at home to Liverpool, but he was one of the worst performers in another dreadful defeat.

His malaise is no longer a surprise, it is a pattern that is repeated regularly, and Ten Hag needs to stop giving him so many chances.

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