Erik ten Hag made it abundantly clear what quality he demanded of his players ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
“If you want to perform, you need hungry players,” Ten Hag declared. “We need personalities and players who are very hungry to fight for the badge and this club.”
Based upon the disjointed display at Old Trafford, some players had clearly cottoned on to the message quicker than others. Here are those who will have left Ten Hag delighted and disappointed during the 2-2 draw.
Marcus Rashford: 8/10
After 234 days, 14 games and 32 shots, Marcus Rashford finally broke his scoring drought at Old Trafford. Playing with the streak of arrogance that underpins Rashford’s best spells, the England international had the confidence to continually take on Pedro Porro, dusting himself off to charge at the full-back rather than passing the burden of penetration to a teammate.
Rashford’s cathartic goal, celebrated as though a weight had been lifted, epitomised the winger’s determined drive. Porro was stood between United’s number ten and a return pass from Rasmus Hojlund but Rashford buffeted the full-back out of the way, leaving Guglielmo Vicario clutching at thin air as the ball scuttled between Micky van de Ven’s legs and into the bottom corner.
Honourable mention
Rasmus Hojlund: 7/10
More than half of the season has already elapsed and Sunday was the first time that Hojlund and Rashford have scored in the same game. The fleet-footed duo bounced off one another as practically the only two cogs in this United machine that span with any fluency at Old Trafford.
Hojlund’s winner against Aston Villa on Boxing Day has injected an extra layer of confidence into the Dane’s game. Where he had been previously taking an extra touch to set himself, Hojlund thrashed the opening goal of the match into the roof of the net without a second’s hesitation.
Christian Eriksen: 3/10
Christian Eriksen missed United’s routine cup victory over Wigan on Monday through illness and played Sunday’s match with all the grace of a peaky patient.
A victim of Ten Hag’s man-marking system, Eriksen spent the contest taking two steps towards and swiftly away from the white shirt that briefly breezed in and out of his general vicinity. That Ten Hag left Eriksen…
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