Erik ten Hag sees Marcus Rashford as key to his Manchester United project and insists the England international is not for sale.
Rashford signed a lucrative five-year deal at United last summer that ties him to the club until 2028. However, that has not prevented speculation linking the forward with a summer switch to Paris Saint-Germain as they look to replace the departing Kylian Mbappe.
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Ten Hag: United always rise to the big occasion
Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival as part owner at Old Trafford means there is renewed focus on the future and Ten Hag sees Rashford as being integral to that despite an underwhelming season that has seen him score seven goals in 32 games in all competitions.
He said: “We didn’t re-sign him last season [to a new contract] with the intention to sell him. No. He should be part of this project.
“It’s not a subject we talk about.”
Rashford is expected to start on the left side of United’s attack against Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday with Rasmus Hojlund likely to return from a muscle injury.
United have beaten Liverpool just once in their last six competitive meetings with Jurgen Klopp’s men also dishing out some hammerings – 7-0, 4-0 and 5-0 – over the past three years.
Rashy on the run ⚡@MarcusRashford was electrifying when Liverpool came to Old Trafford last season 🍿⤵️#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 15, 2024
On the face of it, the visitors will arrive at Old Trafford as favourites but Ten Hag has dismissed the form book, and history, and says his team will go into the game on an equal footing.
He added: “I never think about who is favourite. It starts 0-0. We make sure we’re ready.
“We respect every opposition but it’s about ‘make it our game’. We know where the strengths are, where the weaknesses are.”
The Merseysiders will be backed by a large travelling support at the weekend and Ten Hag has called on the United fans to bring the noise to roar their team through to the semi-finals.
“Some games are bigger than others,” Ten Hag said. “Man Utd versus Liverpool is always a big game, especially when it’s the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. It’s a special game, absolutely.
“The fans see it as a very big game, they’re very eager for us to win this. I’m sure they’ll be right behind us. There are more Liverpool fans [than usual in the away section due to increased FA Cup allocations] so they have to be really loud to support us, that we hear them, but I’m convinced they will do that.”
