Erik ten Hag has explained why Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were treated differently over disciplinary issues at Manchester United.
Rashford was fined fined two weeks' wages of £650,000 and left out of United's squad for their 4-2 FA Cup victory against Newport County on Sunday after he missed training on Friday.
The 26-year-old told United that he spent Wednesday evening in Belfast, where he was visiting former United youth teamer RoShaun Williams. Ten Hag gave his players Thursday off, but Rashford was caught partying on Thursday night and in the early hours of Friday morning before he returned to Manchester.
Advert
On Monday Ten Hag held discussions with Rashford and his brother and adviser Dwaine Maynard. United released a statement that read: "Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed."
With Rashford available for selection for United's Premier League trip to Wolves on Thursday, some have questioned why Ten Hag has welcomed the striker back into the fold when he froze out Jadon Sancho for his disciplinary issues.
Sancho was left out of United's squad for a 3-1 loss to Arsenal in September. The winger publicly refuted Ten Hag's claim that he had not been training properly, and was subsequently expelled from the first team training ground. In January he was sent on loan to Borussia Dortmund.
Advert
During a press conference on Wednesday, Ten Hag was asked why he treated the two incidents differently.
"We can sort out everything internally. Jadon [Sancho] chose to go public," he said.
When asked if Rashford's behaviour could be considered 'antagonistic', the manager replied: "No, it has nothing to do with the relationship between me and Marcus."
This is the second time this season that Rashford's behaviour has been criticised; in October he draw flak from United fans after he enjoyed a night out in Manchester hours after United lost 3-0 to Manchester City.
Advert
Several disciplinary incidents have happened at United since Ten Hag took charge in 2022, but he dismissed the suggestion that he needs to remind his players of their responsibilities.
"No, come on. We are talking about top football players. I don’t have to educate them any more. When you are playing for Man United, they should know.
"The players at this level need to manage themselves, that is what you can demand from the player. The player has to know what is good and not good. When you want to play top football, it demands a certain way of life. Always."
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Manchester United, Marcus Rashford, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Jadon Sancho