“As a leader, you must be guided by dignity and decorum and that’s when he fails… He won’t be our captain from now henceforth”: Erik ten Hag dethroned Bruno Fernandes as club’s captain, announced his successor instantly

HusseinOctober 21, 2024Last Updated: October 21, 2024

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Marcus Rashford starred in an unfamiliar role for Manchester United against Brentford.

Manchester United went behind against Brentford after Ethan Pinnock opened the scoring when Matthijs de Ligt was controversially forced to the sidelines.

It looked as though pressure would be piled back on Erik ten Hag with his side trailing at half-time, but the Dutchman inspired United to a second-half comeback.

United drew level just minutes into the second half when Marcus Rashford’s “incredible” cross found Alejandro Garnacho at the back post.

Rasmus Hojlund completed the comeback just after the hour mark when the Dane scored a delicate chip after latching onto Bruno Fernandes’ superb flick.

Goals have been an issue for United but the second-half display against Brentford was probably the sharpest 45-minute performance of the season.

Marcus Rashford forced out to the right wing

Marcus Rashford and Garnacho have both enjoyed strong starts to the season, but the issue is that both wingers prefer to play off the left.

It has given Ten Hag plenty of selection headaches as both Rashford and Garnacho have struggled when forced out on the right-hand side.

It was Garnacho who was shifted to the right for the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa, but the duo swapped places against Brentford with Rashford on the right this time.

However, those expecting another below-par performance from Rashford were in for a shock with the 26-year-old thriving in the role thanks to a small tweak from Ten Hag.

Instead of being instructed to stay wide on the right, where Rashford has struggled in the past, he was given license to play more centrally – almost alongside Hojlund at times.

As pointed out by analysis from The Athletic, Rashford’s tweaked position gave space for Diogo Dalot to attack down the right, while also isolating Garnacho on the left.

Rashford was given the freedom to collect the ball centrally and drift out to the right, which is where he delivered his inch-perfect cross for Garnacho.

Marcus Rashford made his thoughts clear in 2023

It was not Rashford’s first rodeo out on the right, but it was one of the first performances where he looked comfortable and dangerous in that position.

As per Manchester Evening News, Rashford spoke about playing on the right back in 2023 when he explained why it feels less comfortable and natural.

“The angles of making the run in behind, because most of my game is running in behind to stretch defences,” he said.