Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes two Manchester United forwards let the team down against Fulham.
Manchester United were dealt a major blow ahead of the game with Fulham at the weekend when Rasmus Hojlund was ruled out with an injury.
Harry Maguire explained after the 2-1 defeat that all of the team’s preparations were thrown off, with no natural replacement for Hojlund in the squad.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho saw their roles in attack changed, with Omari Forson stepping in to make his first competitive start for the club.
Garnacho and Rashford criticised
Ben Foster reviewed the weekend’s action in an interview with The United Stand and criticised both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for failing to press properly.
While acknowledging Rasmus Hojlund’s absence was a problem for United’s attack, Foster also expressed his disappointment with the duo.
He named Garnacho as being culpable for Fulham’s winner by losing concentration.
He said: “Garnacho and Rashford, they are not pressing players. But in fairness, if you are going to play that way and put Garnacho and Rashford up there, they have to do the job the manager says. That is their job.
“They don’t do it, and you can’t trust them to do it. The second goal actually came from Fulham had a throw-in in the bottom corner and Garnacho switches off for a split second. They manage to get the throw to the player, plays it back, kicks it upfield, goal.
“Hojlund will do that, he’s a presser, he will work tirelessly. Normally when Hojlund is playing the players know they can get up around him. He will shut those little angles off.”
Erik ten Hag said United player switched off
Speaking after the game to MUTV, Erik ten Hag said one player ended up making a big contributory factor for Fulham’s winner for failing to do his job.
He also said that the players around him should have done better to control the situation, declining to name Garnacho.
The manager said: “They come out from a throw-in near the corner and it shouldn’t happen.
“We have them under pressure but one player is in the wrong position. So, as a team, we should manage that so everyone is in the right position.
“We have experience on the pitch. We let them escape and that was avoidable. It can’t happen when an opponent has a throw-in.”
To be really fair to Garnacho, he has had an excellent season so far and situations like this are part of the learning process, how to manage certain situations in games. We all know he has the ability.
He is the one player who has featured in every single Manchester United squad this season, amid an ongoing injury crisis which does not look to be slowing down.
