‘The 7-0 was a freak result!’ | Jurgen Klopp previews Liverpool’s clash with Man Utd
Under-fire Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is hopeful a “kick up the a**” will get Marcus Rashford’s season back-on-track following what has been a very underwhelming start to the campaign for his forward and side in general. The Red Devils travel to arch rivals Liverpool on Sunday, sitting sixth in the Premier League.
Considering how both teams’ seasons have unravelled so far, many are predicting a home banker given Liverpool sat top of the pile heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures. Meanwhile Utd have suffered back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, in which they subsequently crashed out of Europe.
They will also be without captain and talisman Bruno Fernandes given he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the chastening 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford last weekend. Furthermore, there are concerns over the availability of England international Rashford before Sunday’s enthralling encounter.
Rashford has recently been struck down with Norovirus, and was unavailable for Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to Bayern. He was back in training on Friday with the hope of being fully fit to take on Liverpool at Anfield.
But while his fitness remains in doubt, Ten Hag knows his forward must rediscover his form as soon as possible following a very poor start to the 2023/24 campaign. Following last season’s 7-0 hammering at Anfield, the Utd boss knows he can’t afford any shrinking violets on the pitch this time round if they want to walk away with a positive result.
The 26-year-old has come in for plenty of criticism this season, having scored just twice and provided one assist in the Premier League, while his effort during matches have been questioned by some.
Rashford himself will know better than anyone he hasn’t been good enough, and Ten Hag has suggested he may need to be ruthless with his player to get him back on track.
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When asked during Friday’s press conference if he needed an arm around the shoulder or a “kick up the a**”, the Dutchman replied: “I think for almost any player it’s an arm around the shoulder, sometimes a kick in the a**. It can make a difference in the management which approach you are taking, a kick in the ass or an arm around the shoulder.”
Ten Hag sported a wry smile, suggesting he could take the latter approach. And with the manager under huge pressure to turn fortunes around, coinciding with Sir Jim Ratcliffe soon to take over operations, he knows full well that he needs Rashford to rediscover his mojo if United are to have a successful season come the end of the campaign.
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