He may have produced some moments of magic on the Old Trafford touchline this season, but Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed he is not Harry Potter. I know, what a let down.
The 52-year-old Dutchman brought up the fictional character when speaking to the press ahead of this weekend's FA Cup fourth round clash against Reading.
As you can see in the footage below, Ten Hag was asked for the reason behind Marcus Rashford's form.
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Rashford, who has scored 18 goals for United this season, with 10 of those coming from his last 10 games, is arguably in the form of his life right now. But why?
Ahead of Saturday's clash at Old Trafford, a reporter in the pre-match press conference was curious.
He said: "Erik, can you tell us what you've done with Marcus Rashford to transform him into the player he is now because when you arrived, his form had gone. His confidence had gone. What is it that you said to him to get him into the position he is now?".
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After a brief pause, Ten Hag proceeded to play down putting any Harry Potter-style magic on Rashford.
“I'm not Harry Potter,” said the former Ajax boss, a statement that brought plenty of laughs from the press room.
He added: “Confidence [is important] and every player has to make and get his own confidence. He fights for this, and he invests in this.
“With me and my coaching staff, we bring structures and especially with the way of play. That gives him some routines [with] what he needed to get into the right position, but finally it was up to him.
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“If the player has confidence and he is confident in the way we are working - the environment and the culture are also important - then the player can perform at his best.
“Marcus is obviously performing at his best at this moment and he is in really good shape, from day to day, game to game, training to training. More and more routines are coming in.”
Ahead of their Carabao Cup win against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, Ten Hag urged Rashford to sign a new contract amid rumours of potential interest from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
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When asked how important was it that the club keep Rashford, he said: “I think he understands Man United is his club, that’s first but also, in this environment, in this team, I think he is playing his best football.
“He is improving and that is about him because he’s working on the good things. He is giving 100 per cent energy in it and he has a good plan and I think also in this team he can bring his qualities.
“So this team can help him be in the right position and to score goals, which he is good at.
“This team is constructed that his qualities come to the fore and I think he knows that. But, definitely yes, he is important for us and if we want to get the success we want – we need him.”
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Thoughts on Rashford's form this season?
Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Premier League, Marcus Rashford, FA Cup
Jack Kenmare