Following their dramatic last-minute victory over Fulham on Saturday, the Manchester United squad gathered for a team dinner. However, Marcus Rashford, who was nursing an injury, was noticeably absent from the gathering.
Erik ten Hag’s team secured a vital win in the capital thanks to a late goal by Bruno Fernandes, after a couple of crucial saves by Andre Onana had kept them in the game. Club captain Fernandes celebrated the victory at the MNKY HSE restaurant, along with several of his teammates, and injured defender Lisandro Martinez also joined them. Nevertheless, Marcus Rashford opted not to participate in the post-match celebrations.
It’s worth noting that Rashford had made headlines the previous week for celebrating his birthday at Chinawhite shortly after United’s derby defeat. Manager Ten Hag had publicly criticized Rashford’s conduct, labeling it “unacceptable,” but he also confirmed that the star player had personally apologized to him.
Ten Hag explained, “It’s unacceptable. I told him, he apologised and that’s it,” Ten Hag explained. “For us, it’s an internal matter. He’s fitting in, he’s very motivated to put things right. I know how much effort he is putting in. He’s totally with us. So he makes a mistake, but that doesn’t mean he’s not fitting in.”
“I see him every day in training, what he’s doing, so I know. He makes one mistake but also, off the pitch, I see what he’s doing, how he lives and I’m sure he’s doing everything right to help the team and to perform and to let us win.”
Ten Hag also clarified on Saturday that Rashford’s absence from the Fulham match was due to injury rather than disciplinary reasons. “He was travelling with us, but he’s not playing,” the Dutchman stated. “We did a test this morning and he wasn’t good enough. He’s not fit. [He would’ve started] yes, we have to close that case. I’ve said everything about it.”
In Rashford’s absence, Manchester United faced a challenging match against Fulham, struggling for extended periods. However, in the final minute, Bruno Fernandes managed to breach Bernd Leno’s defences.
The win over Fulham is expected to provide Manchester United with much-needed momentum for their midweek trip to Copenhagen. In their previous Champions League group game, they narrowly defeated FC Copenhagen, with Harry Maguire scoring the lone goal.
Manager Ten Hag faces several selection dilemmas for the upcoming match in Denmark. One such decision concerns the centre-back position, where Maguire and Jonny Evans continued to pair up despite Raphael Varane’s return from injury.
Following their victory at Craven Cottage, Manchester United currently occupy the eighth position in the Premier League table. However, they still have some ground to cover in order to secure a place in the Champions League.
After the match, Bruno Fernandes acknowledged the team’s recent struggles, stating, “Everyone knows the situation is not the best,” Fernandes told TNT Sports.
“The performances over our last few matches have not been good obviously, the results too, but today it was a different game. We had to show something different and we delivered, we got the three points and that’s what mattered.”
Fernandes also emphasized the collective effort and determination of the players, indicating their commitment to regaining possession and changing their fortunes. This victory could serve as a turning point for the team’s season.
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United is currently 3rd in the Champions League with 3 points.
In the last 3 games, it has won once and lost twice. In its last match, Manchester United won 1-0 against FC Copenhagen.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 6 goals and conceding 7.
Manchester United will play the next match in Champions League against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday 8th of November in København. The prediction is Manchester United winning the match.