Reading boss Paul Ince comments on facing Marcus Rashford

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Reading manager Paul Ince is hoping Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag doesn’t play Marcus Rashford in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash.

The Royals, who are managed by United’s former midfielder, head to Old Trafford with the aim of upsetting Ten Hag’s Red Devils.

With the twenty-time league champions facing the Championship side, who sit 14th in the second tier of English football, Ten Hag may opt to start the likes of Rashford on the bench against Ince’s men.

But with United in a commanding 3-0 lead against Nottingham Forest ahead of next week’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at the Theatre of Dreams, the former Ajax manager may go with a stronger side from the start against the Royals with him having the option of shuffling his pack against Forest.

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Paul Ince hopes Marcus Rashford doesn’t feature for Manchester United against Reading

Rashford opened the scoring in last night’s 3-0 win against Forest at The City Ground and he’s scored 10 goals in 10 games for the Reds in all competitions since the 2022 World Cup finished.

According to Sky Sports, no player across Europe’s big-five leagues has scored more than United’s electric number ten in this time.

The 25-year-old’s strike against Forest was his 18th goal of the campaign across all competitions. Only Erling Haaland (31) has netted more for a Premier League club.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of his return to Old Trafford, Ince made it clear whether he wanted his Reading side to come up against the in-form 51-time England international.

Ince said: “Hopefully Rashford is not going to play! It’s all about confidence, like with any player. To see him doing what he does best is great for fans.

“He’s unstoppable right now. We can’t be thinking about stopping him, it’s about us putting in a performance.”

Rashford scored twice against Reading in the third-round of the 2016/17 FA Cup when Jose Mourinho’s United beat Jaap Stam’s Royals 4-0 at Old Trafford.

If Rashford does feature against Ince’s Reading, the forward will be looking to score in his tenth consecutive home game having equalled Dennis Viollet’s 64-year-old record.