Erik ten Hag delivers clear discipline message amid Marcus Rashford fallout

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Erik ten Hag’s response to a question about discipline in his Manchester United press conference may well be a thinly veiled dig at Marcus Rashford.

It’s been yet another busy week in the life of Erik ten Hag with the fallout over Marcus Rashford’s reasons for his absence against Newport County dominating the headlines.

Rashford was allegedly spotted in a Belfast nightclub on a Thursday night with training due to take place on the Friday morning but the Englishman missed the session and the game against the Welsh side due to ‘illness’.

However, the situation has been dealt with internally by the club but the 26-year-old’s disciplinary issues remain the sole focus of the media’s gaze.

Ten Hag on discipline

Since moving to Old Trafford in the summer of 2022, Ten Hag has had a very strict rule when it comes to discipline and if you don’t fall in line you’ll be out of the team.

Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo are two examples of players who did not fall in line. Ronaldo saw his contract at United terminated whilst Sancho is spending the rest of the season on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of the clash against Wolves at Molineux, as per the MEN, the Dutchman was asked about the importance of discipline when playing for a big club.

“Nothing to do with [discipline] with me but in football, you need discipline and that is on the pitch but also off the pitch. There is a line between, when every player, every professional knows this, what is required.

“We have to focus on winning football games and that’s well that matters and every top professional knows what is required.”

Ten Hag and Rashford

For all the talk about the Dutchman potentially losing the dressing room, the one player he looked to have no issue with was Rashford as the Englishman bagged 30 goals for the season in the previous campaign.

However, this season has been a different story for the academy graduate as he has just four Premier League goals to his name this campaign and has drawn critics due to his performances on the pitch.

If Ten Hag’s message about discipline doesn’t resonate with the Englishman then it could well be bad news for Rashford, who recently signed a new contract with the Red Devils in the summer.