Patrick Vieira says Marcus Rashford proved Erik ten Hag was right to drop him after what he did vs Crystal Palace

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Marcus Rashford was dropped to the bench for Manchester United’s trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday evening.

Marcus Rashford opened his goalscoring account this time last week in the 3-0 win over Southampton, and he added a further two goals to his tally in the 7-0 win over Barnsley.

However, Erik ten Hag made the bold decision to leave him out of the starting lineup against Crystal Palace with Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho starting out wide, either side of Joshua Zirkzee.

It turned out to be one of the best performances of the season but United left the capital with just one point after a wasteful display in front of goal. United continue to lead the Premier League in big chances missed.

After an hour, Rashford came off the bench to replace Zirkzee, but he failed to have an impact in the final 30 minutes of the clash.

Erik ten Hag explains Marcus Rashford decision

Heading into the Crystal Palace clash, Ten Hag was always going to have to make a big decision with his front line.

Garnacho is emulating Cristiano Ronaldo at United by enjoying a superb breakout season this year. It always felt like he was a guaranteed starter against Palace.

Amad has also impressed this season and was left out of the starting lineup against Barnsley – it now seems that decision was made in advance to give him a rest ahead of the Palace clash.

However, the decision to drop Rashford sparked controversy with Jamie Redknapp claiming “there’s obviously something that’s happened”.

Ten Hag lashed out at the wild claim, calling it “crazy” and explaining the reasoning behind his decision was to rotate his forward options and nothing more.

Patrick Vieira on Marcus Rashford

After United struggled to score in the first half against Palace, it is easy in hindsight to suggest that Rashford should have started.

But Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, via NBC Sports, insists Rashford actually proved Ten Hag was right to drop him because he looked “disappointed” after coming off the bench.

When asked if Ten Hag made a mistake by dropping Rashford, Vieira replied: “No. I think the manager looking at the week of training will help him make his decision.

“I think Rashford should ask himself why he doesn’t start at Manchester United. And I think he has to do more because the manager, the fans, the club, they expect more from him.

“And I think, when he came on today, I felt that he was disappointed and that didn’t help him. I think when a player like him comes on from the bench he has to make a point.

“Making a point is showing that the manager was wrong not to start him. But when you look at his performance today, the manager was right not to start him.”