A last-gasp winner from Casemiro saw Manchester United secure a 1-0 win against Nottingham Forest, in their FA Cup fixture on Thursday. The goal sent Manchester United into the quarterfinals, where they will face Liverpool. The Brazilian midfielder headed in a low-bouncing free-kick from Bruno Fernandes and it saved United from a disappointing result.
The match also saw Marcus Rashford receive plenty of criticism, after filling in for the injured Rasmus Hojlund up front. The England international was invisible throughout the match, and failed to make an impact.
Speaking to the BBC, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney had some special advice for the out-of-form Rashford. “Marcus Rashford needs to be more ruthless and be patient and stay in the middle of the goal. You just want to see more from him. Confidence is the main factor, he hasn’t been scoring regularly this season and he maybe needs to simplify his game to get back in the groove.”
Rooney also felt that United’s senior players need to support Rashford and ‘get more out of him’. “He’s not the most vocal lad. His body language doesn’t look great at times but he’s not like that. The senior players need to get more out of him and get him fired up,” he added.
Rashford scored 30 goals last campaign but has been in contrasting form this season. In 32 games across all competitions, he has only scored five goals and registered six assists.
It is also being reported that Rashford’s relationship with manager Erik ten Hag has deteriorated and the pair aren’t on talking terms.
Reacting to United facing Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Ten Hag said, “Now we have Liverpool at home, it’s a fantastic draw, we are looking forward [to it]. But we have to bury the cup, and first we are looking forward to the league, and the first game is always the most important. It’s a good game, [against Man] City, and we are looking forward to that.”