Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford had one of his best 45 minutes of 2024 in the draw against Porto.
Erik ten Hag had some explaining to do after Manchester United’s draw against Porto. And really, his decision to ‘rotate’ Marcus Rashford 45 minutes into the game did not pass the common-sense test.
Rashford scored one goal and provided an assist, and looked dangerous and confident whenever he got the ball at his feet.
Alejandro Garnacho did not do badly as his replacement, but he did not match Rashford, and there was no need to change him when he did.
Reaction to Rashford performance
The press in Portugal only had positive words about the Manchester United forward, who tore Porto apart in the first half.
ZeroZero picked out Erik ten Hag’s decision to substitute Marcus Rashford as ‘strange’, praising his display.
They wrote: “The Englishman was a nightmare for FC Porto’s defence in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch. A terror in dribbling and driving, he scored and provided assists. Ten Hag explained the winger’s departure as “rotation”. There are things that are difficult to explain.”
O Jogo noted how Rashford made goalkeeper Diogo Costa look back with the goalkeeper’s poor effort at keeping out his near-post shot.
- READ MORE: Who is Marcus Rashford? Inside the life of Man Utd’s book-writing, government-tackling ace
Christian Eriksen ‘star man’
While Rashford was very good, another player was rated in Portugal as Manchester United’s star man on the night, Christian Eriksen.
Zero Zero gave Eriksen a 8/10, matched with their grade for Samu Omorodion, and one more than the 7/10 awarded to Marcus Rashford.
“A player involved in all three of the English goals… He was the Red Devils ‘ most outstanding player in the game,” they wrote.
Eriksen ended up with two assists, creating six goalscoring chances in total on the night as his renaissance continues.
The Dane now has three goals and three assists this season, all the more impressive considering he did not start any of the three opening matches.
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