Erik ten Hag says he has spotted ‘good sign’ Man Utd duo are forming impressive partnership

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is optimistic Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford are going to hit it off.

Saturday’s defeat to Brighton was a major disappointment for Manchester United. There were many moans after the game from fans, and one moment which was dissected was Marcus Rashford deciding to shoot, instead of pass to Rasmus Hojlund early in the second half.

Rashford hit the side netting, wasting the chance, when his teammate was better positioned.

It was a sign that the pair are still adjusting to one another. Rashford in particular must be a little more unselfish now he has a proper centre-forward alongside him.

To be fair, Rashford did square a chance for Hojlund in the first half, which the Dane scored. The problem was the ball had gone out of play and it was disallowed.

Had that decision been permitted, and it was a matter of a few centimetres, the second half incident would not have stood out, and supporters would have been left with a positive impression of the Rashford and Hojlund connection on their first start together.

Erik ten Hag is taking a positive view, in public at least. He told his press conference he sees encouraging signs between the pair.

Ten Hag on Rashford and Hojlund

Erik ten Hag explained he is feeling encouraged about what he has seen from his two most important forward players.

The manager said: “They have to know each other and that process just started. At the same time we need results and they go hand in hand. We learn from every training and from every game, and of course we reflect with the togetherness.

“We lead that, as coaching staff and also we have seen that Rasmus [Hojlund] and Rashy are talking about how they can benefit from each other. You can see that discuss and that the interaction is happening on the pitch, it is going on.

“That is a good sign and I’m sure that connection – I think that connection is already there – but I think they will get the routines in.”

United need to score goals

One of the themes of Manchester United’s season last year was that the team did not score enough goals. That has been an issue early this season too.

Six different players have scored, but not a single player has exceeded one goal.

Hojlund and Rashford can help each other out, and Ten Hag is confident they will forge a strong connection. If they can lead United to a win over Bayern Munich, it will really give supporters something positive to focus on.