A Marcus Rashford injury poured cold water on a good day as Manchester United strengthened their grip on a UCL qualification place with a professional 2-0 victory over Everton at Old Trafford. Martial was back amongst the goals and Erik ten Hag’s call for more players to score was answered by Scott McTominay.
Christian Eriksen also returned to action but Marcus Rashford’s injury stopped it from becoming the perfect day at the office.
United now face a nervous wait on the status update of their talisman. Here’s what we know so far about Marcus Rashford’s injury.
Marcus Rashford injury- Erik ten Hag blames schedule
During the 78th minute of the match, having already assisted Anthony Martial for United’s second goal, Marcus Rashford hobbled off the pitch.
He had tried to reach for a pass from the returning Christian Eriksen but immediately felt something in his leg.
Non-contact, innocuous muscle injuries are often the worst-case scenario. Erik ten Hag, when asked about it post-match, didn’t sound very optimistic either. He attributed the muscle injury to the increased workload on the players. Notably, this was United’s third PL game in less than a week. Marcus Rashford started every game.
In his interview with BBC, he said:
"“It’s too much. Especially when you play last Sunday night and then the first game on the Saturday. In the week, you have to make the game against Brentford, the game instead of the Carabao Cup. So you get punished for reaching the final, so it is not right.“I don’t know [about Marcus]. It is like this when you have to play so many games in short notice, especially when the schedule is this tight. Players can’t recover and you run the risk that players can get injured. You have to be aware of that.“You can’t say [exactly what has happened], even when you speak to him. We have to wait until tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, then we will see what is the diagnosis."
Every United fan will be nervously waiting for further updates on their talisman’s status. Rashford’s 27 goals and 10 assists this season across all competitions have played a crucial role in Erik ten Hag’s side being in contention for three trophies and sitting in a UCL place in the league.
Manchester United face Sevilla in the Europa League quarterfinal next on April 13, 8 PM BST. Marcus Rashford is unlikely to be deemed fit for that game.