Premier League
Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United are over-reliant on Marcus Rashford’s goals
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag admitted the team are over-reliant on Marcus Rashford, after he scored the winner as they beat Brentford 1-0 in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Wednesday to climb back into the top four.
Since the World Cup ended in December, only Napoli’s Victor Osimhen (12) has netted more league goals in Europe’s big five leagues than the England forward (11).
Overall, only Erling Haaland (42) and Kylian Mbappe (31) have scored more times than Rashford (28) in Europe’s big five league’s this term.
United’s other strikers are Wout Weghorst, who has scored twice in 19 matches and Anthony Martial, who has six goals in 16 games but has been injured for much of the season.
“Yes, it’s the truth,” conceded ten Hag, when asked if the Red Devils are too reliant on Rashford.
“But we know other players can score as well.
“Bruno (Fernandes) can score as well. We have many more players across the squad who can score.”
Rashford has found the net 19 times at Old Trafford this campaign, the most by a United player since Wayne Rooney, the club’s all-time top scorer, also netted 19 at home in 2011-12.
The 25-year-old’s 10 winning goals in the Premier League are the most by a Red Devil in a single season since Rooney in 2009-10.
“We are in that period of the season where every game is important and every game counts, so we are pleased to win,” Rashford said.
“We are not going to play our best every week, but there is never a time to drop our standards and we have to keep trying to push each other.”
The victory was a perfect response following a 2-0 defeat by Newcastle United on Sunday and lifted the Red Devils to 53 points, three ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and level with the Magpies in third.
United started brightly, forcing a series of corners and free kicks and, when the breakthrough came in the 27th minute, it was from another set piece.
A Brentford clearance from a corner only made it as far as winger Antony on the edge of the box.
He lofted it towards Marcel Sabitzer, and Rashford met the Austrian’s bouncing headed knockdown with a sumptuous half-volley that gave David Raya no chance.
David de Gea almost gave Brentford a lifeline early in the second half when his loose clearance cannoned into Ivan Toney. But, luckily for the United goalkeeper, the ball bounced to safety.
“We want to play as a machine and not make mistakes,” said ten Hag.
“We made one mistake and thankfully they didn’t benefit from it. This is a massive win.”
United could have sealed the game in the 80th minute as Rashford broke down the left and squared to Fred, but the Brazilian blazed the ball high over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Brentford poured forward in the closing stages, but the closest they came to scoring was an audacious chip from Toney that drifted harmlessly over the bar as the hosts held on.
Said Bees boss Thomas Frank: “We’re just disappointed that we didn’t get anything of it.
“That’s crazy because we were playing Manchester United. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of who we are and what we have done.”
Looking for a top-four finish that will give them a crack at Champions League football next season, Rashford said consistency would be key for United as the Premier League heads into its final phase.
“Hopefully we can build on that and get back to where we were a couple of weeks ago,” he said.
-Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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