Erik ten Hag praises Rashford after Saints goal using Cristiano Ronaldo analogy

Marcus Rashford run of 12 games without a goal finally came to an end on Saturday in Manchester United's 3-0 over Southampton. The 26-year-old striker hadn't scored in the Premier League for 189 days before sending a fierce low strike past Saints goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. 

The goal was exactly the boost of confidence that the English forward needed after facing heavy criticism for his poor performance at Anfield before the international break. Erik ten Hag voiced his delight for the Man United academy graduate, using Cristiano Ronaldo's analogy that scoring is like getting ketchup out of a bottle - "when it [ketchup] comes out [of the bottle] it all comes out at once," explained Ronaldo in an interview that is now 14 years old, as the Portuguese talked about his goal drought.

"Once a striker was talking about a ketchup bottle, once it's going, it's coming more," said Ten Hag. "It is very important for him. We don't pay attention to what the outside world is telling [us], but it was too much negativity to him because he created two great chances [against Liverpool], 100% chances in that game and also in other games. He was playing very well and deserved a goal. Then you get your reward," stated the Dutch manager.

Ten Hag is confident Rashford will be able to keep the goals flowing after his recent goal. "He scored a great goal and for his age, the number of goals he has is amazing, and I'm sure he will score many more goals. To get into the season for every striker it is so important to be on the scoresheet so you can build momentum, build belief and then more goals can come."

Manchester United will hope Ronaldo's analogy equally applies to Marcus Rashford, as goal contributions will be needed in the team's tricky run of fixtures for the next few weeks. United's next game sees them playing Barnsley on Tuesday in the EFL Cup, ahead of the Premier League match away at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

 

September 15, 2024