Souness: Ten Hag needs to ask Man Utd star ‘who he’s hanging around with’ away from ‘FC Hollywood’
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag needs to ask Marcus Rashford “who he’s hanging around with” away from the club in order for the forward to be successful.
The Red Devils have had a mixed start to the season with Rashford one of a number of players to come in for criticism over the past couple of months.
Rashford did hit form recently with three goals in two matches against Southampton and Barnsley before Ten Hag bizarrely dropped him for their next game against Crystal Palace.
Man Utd forward Rashford clearly has talent, scoring 30 goals in the 2022/23 campaign in all competitions but Souness reckons playing at “FC Hollywood” is blessing and a curse for young
Souness said on William Hill’s new podcast Three Up Front: “Erik ten Hag doesn’t have experience managing big players. Yes, he managed Cristiano Ronaldo, but he didn’t do it well. At the time Ronaldo came in, United were in a big hole with no leaders that the younger players in the dressing room could idolise.
“Ronaldo is the perfect role model for any young player in how he’s looked after himself, the games he’s played, the goals he has scored and the clubs he’s played for.
“Make no mistake, there is a player in Marcus Rashford. He just hasn’t been able to perform to the level that United have built him up to be – it’s a curse and a blessing to play for that club. The history of the club is full of young players who have never fulfilled their potential because they’ve had too much too soon. That’s the price tag for playing at United – they are FC Hollywood.”
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And Souness thinks Ten Hag needs to ask Rashford who he’s spending his time with off the pitch as the Man Utd forward needs good role models around him.
Souness added: “What Ten Hag should’ve done is pull in Rashford for a conversation and ask about who he’s hanging around with. He needs to ask questions around who he’s spending all his time with outside of football. Senior players and positive role models are crucial in being successful. If you’ve got good pros then they’re doing half of the work for the manager, but that’s just not there in the United dressing room at the moment.
“You’ve got to factor in the money these boys are making and the adulation they get. They live in a bubble where everyone says yes to them.
“United were fabulous against Southampton. If that’s the level of them going forwards, they’ll end up having a good season, but they have to beat Tottenham at the weekend. The only issue is when you’re a manager and you look at your team and you’re questioning what you’re going to get on game day, that’s never a great thing.”
