Alan Shearer believes that a disciplinary issue may explain why Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag started Marcus Rashford on the bench against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Rashford had not scored in his first three Premier League appearances for the 2024/25 season, but he netted his first goal of the campaign against Southampton on matchday four and then followed it up with a brace and an assist in the 7-0 Carabao Cup win over Barnsley.
Despite his impressive performance midweek, Rashford was dropped to the bench for the trip to Crystal Palace, a decision that surprised many. Ten Hag stated before the match that the choice was part of squad rotation, and Rashford came on as a substitute in the 61st minute.
While providing analysis during the game, Jamie Redknapp suggested that the benching could indicate a disciplinary issue. In response, Ten Hag called Redknapp’s comments “crazy,” noting that the former Liverpool midfielder had highlighted the positive remarks he made about Rashford in a press conference leading up to the match.
“I’ve heard the speculation from some pundits,” Ten Hag said after the draw. “That’s crazy.
“I would almost say that it’s not okay for you as a person to spread such speculation without knowing what’s going on.
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“This is simply rotation. We have many games ahead and more than 11 players, so we need to give everyone their chances based on performance. In the end, the players who perform better will get more playing time.
“But this has nothing to do with Rashford. I’m very pleased with Marcus—his defending, his offensive contributions. He’s scoring right now and performing well, so his being on the bench is just about rotation.”
Despite Ten Hag’s insistence on rotation, Newcastle United legend Shearer believes there’s an issue between the manager and Rashford. Gary Lineker suggested this might be the case, and Shearer concurred, arguing there’s no other reason to drop him.
“It seems, reading between the lines, that there could be some disciplinary issues, as he hinted in his press conference that ‘Marcus has to be professional,’” Lineker said.
Shearer responded, “Why else would you leave him out?
“When performances have been criticized—and I was one of those doing the criticizing—he scores a goal last weekend and adds a couple more in midweek. Why would you even think about leaving him out? My guess is, and it’s just a guess, that there has to be something more to it.”