The Manchester United striker was dropped to the bench by manager Erik Ten Hag, citing “internal disciplinary” reasons as the Red Devils lined up to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Rashford would eventually come on in the second half to give United more of an advantage in attack, showing great strength and composure to hold off his marker and dismiss the winner 14 minutes from time.
After the match, the striker was asked why he had been left out of the squad, to which he replied that he had missed the start of a team meeting because he had overslept.
“I overslept and I was late for a meeting” 😅
Marcus Rashford reveals why he was benched by his manager Erik Ten Hag…💬
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“I was a bit late. I slept in, I overslept. It’s the team rules and a mistake can happen. Disappointed not to play but I understand the decision. I’m happy we managed to win the game I think we can draw a line under it and move on,” he told BT Sports.
Defender Luke Shaw also supported the manager’s decision saying: “People can’t do what they want. Maybe that was the problem in the past: people get away with weird little things, but the manager takes that into consideration. You saw today that if you don’t keep the bar high, you don’t play.”
The game later saw Rashford have another goal disallowed for handball but it mattered little as United saw their third league win in a row past Tottenham Hotspur, who play Aston Villa on New Year’s Day, and move into fourth place. Wolves remain 18th.