‘I'm not Harry Potter’ - Erik ten Hag refuses to take full credit for Marcus Rashford’s transformation

A lot of people have praised ten Hag and his coaching staff for getting the maximum out of Rashford this campaign.

Marcus Rashford in a file photo; Credit: Twitter/@premierleague
By Karthik Raman | Mar 31, 2023 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

There are plenty of positives that can be taken from Manchester United’s performances this season under Erik ten Hag. A lot of credit has to be given to the new manager for changing the mentality of the players and turning them into a winning machine. Besides, there has also been a massive improvement from the players’ side with Marcus Rashford being the standout performer of them all. The English forward was criticised massively last season for his below-par performances.

However, he responded to those criticism by consistently performing at the top level this season. A lot of people have praised ten Hag and his coaching staff for getting the maximum out of Rashford this campaign. However, ten Hag has refused to take the full credit for Rashford’s transformation. Speaking about Rashford’s improvement this season, the manager in his pre-match press conference against Newcastle United made a hilarious reference to popular movie character Harry Potter.

“It’s not about just to talk [to him], I’m not Harry Potter, it’s like a process. There are many tools you’re putting in, so in your management, to let people get to their best form and their best shape. So, that is about the line-up, it’s about way of play, that is about of course coaching, about talks – formal, informal – that’s about coaches working with him. And especially, it’s a lot about himself because he is the one and he has the skills so when he is in the best attitude, when he is in the best mentality, then he will score goals,” ten Hag was quoted as saying by the club’s website.

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It’s positive that he was in a break: Erik ten Hag on Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford had pulled out of the recent international duty with England over a knock. As he recovered, Rashford had gone to America to take time away from the game. When ten Hag was asked about it, he replied, “I think it’s positive that he was in a break. Rashford, I think with Bruno [Fernandes], he was playing the most games of the whole squad.”

“I think with Manchester United playing the most games across Europe, especially with the internationals, our internationals are not players who are mostly on the bench with their nations, mostly they are playing, so we our players played the most games in this crazy season. So, they need also time that they can have a breather and they can collect energy. So, for me, it’s positive that he took that time to turn off from football. I’ve seen him back this week and he showed a lot of energy, a lot of motivation, so this training, as the whole team, was a really good session with a lot of spirit, but especially also with Marcus. I think, therefore, it was good.”

Positive development on Anthony Martial

The manager also gave a positive update on Anthony Martial’s injury situation. “He is training. So, for two weeks now. I think he can be in the squad for Sunday,” the Dutchman added. The attention then shifted to Scott McTominay, who had an impressive week for Scotland, scoring important goals for them. Ten Hag was asked whether he would consider playing McTominay as a striker if need be.

“I think Scott can play in many roles, and it’s clear, he has scoring capabilities, it’s clear. We have seen it for Scotland but also this season for us, he is a really good finisher, yeah. But I see him as a midfielder, so I think I am happy with what Wout [Weghorst] is doing because when Wout is in the team, the team is performing better,” the manager added.





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