According to media reports, the Manchester United manager and team players prefer to rely on Marcus Rashford as an outspoken Red Devils striker, rather than Cristiano Ronaldo.
After going through a difficult period last season under former Manchester United managers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, England international Rashford showed signs of his prowess under new manager Erik Ten Hag.
Rashford has scored three goals in six Premier League games this season and provided two more assists.
Rashford had the opportunity to be part of Manchester United this season, with Ronaldo on the bench looking to leave to move to another team that would guarantee him a Champions League spot.
The Portuguese star didn’t get a suitable offer to be forced to stay at United, but he found himself out of the starting line-up and contented himself with a crumble of minutes in English Premier League matches with Rashford’s brilliance.
According to the British newspaper The Sun, Manchester United players and their coach support the option of relying on Rashford instead of Ronaldo in the starting lineup.
A source close to Manchester United said in statements released to The Sun: “Manchester United players feel the team is better off with Rashford up front and Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench.”
He added: “Tin Hag is a big fan of Rashford and he promised him he would do everything in his power to help him get England to the World Cup in Qatar.”
He continued: “Ten Hag wants Marcus to be United’s first striker and lead the attacking line and he thinks Rashford has the potential to be one of the best players in the world and wants him to shine in matches.”
The source continued: “Ten Hag told Rashford that he will easily score 20 goals this season.”
The source continued: “With Ronaldo on the pitch, the team feels pressured. All the players enjoyed Cristiano’s return to training but were disappointed when he missed the pre-season.”
The source concluded: “Ronaldo doesn’t keep up with speed and relies on instinct for his playing style, but that doesn’t fit into Ten Hag’s system.”
Source: “The Sun” + agencies