Ten Hag urges fans to back Rashford
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reaffirmed his belief in Marcus Rashford's capabilities at Friday's pre-match press conference at Carrington.
Ten Hag implied that Rashford is unlikely to feature in Saturday's match with Burnley, either, but was quizzed by journalists about the player's form and challenging season so far.
The Dutchman is optimistic that the England international can recapture his best form before the season concludes.
Part one: Press conference v Burnley
Press conference | The boss began with positive news on Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial...
"Last year, he had a brilliant season; I think the best in his career. I think it was 30 goals. We can see what he is capable of.
"This season, he hasn't given the performances and people are very critical and I think we have to back him. Everyone should back him and should push him to get back to the levels he had last year.
"I think he needs the support," added Ten Hag. "We all know what he is capable of, so we have to support him, but we also have to push him because he can do better than he is doing this year. We have seen last year, where he was really brilliant."
Rashford was voted the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year last season – making him the first Academy graduate to claim the prize since Ryan Giggs in 1998.
And there have been flickers of great quality from the 26-year-old throughout this campaign, including memorable goals against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.
Rashford has now scored six times against City, and there is still a big opportunity to end the season on a high, should he help the Reds to overcome our crosstown rivals in next month's FA Cup final.