Erik ten Hag dropping Marcus Rashford for Man Utd ‘courageous if not completely bonkers’

Erik ten Hag needed no Dutch courage to bench in-form Marcus Rashford in favour of Alejandro Garnacho yesterday.

Indeed, he claimed leaving him out was ‘not difficult’ despite the Manchester United striker netting three times in the visitors’ two victories prior to this trip to Crystal Palace. Yet it still seemed a mighty brave call from Ten Hag, if not utterly bonkers.

Certainly, by the conclusion of this stalemate against the Eagles, it raised further questions about the former-Ajax coach’s man-management and tactical acumen. Confidence is everything in football, right? So why pull the rug from under resurgent Rashford’s feet just as he is finding them again in front of goal?

READ MORE: Five things Erik ten Hag learned as Man Utd settle for draw against Crystal Palace

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Maybe it was a test for the 26-year-old hitman – designed to see if he would react in positive fashion or sulk on the bench in South London. After all, the relationship between the pair has not been smooth in the last 12 months. Twice last season, Rashford crossed the line of acceptable behaviour.

There was his night on the town post-defeat in the Manchester derby before taking a sickie following a bender in Belfast. That explained Friday’s thinly-veiled warning from Ten Hag about Rashford ensuring he lives the right way off the pitch in order to deliver his best every week on it.

Yet asking a player not to make the wrong headlines in his private time and then making them yourself by dropping him 24 hours later did seem a bit ‘kettle calling the pot black’. Until, that is, we witnessed Garnacho skipping down the left flank in the early stages.

Most notably in the ninth minute when the Argentina winger, collecting a pass from Joshua Zirkzee, was denied the opener by a stunning save from ex-United keeper Dean Henderson. Had that gone in, Ten Hag would have looked a genius.

The same applied midway through a first-half of almost complete United domination. This time Garnacho struck a beautiful curler with the right foot that beat Henderson only to hit the bar – as did skipper Bruno Fernandes with the rebound.

And if that left him shaking his head in disbelief, it was an identical reaction just before the interval as the South American dazzler was inches from executing the finish required to tap in Fernandes beautiful centre. The head in the hands told you everything about his disappointment.

Considering the Reds’ dominance and integral contribution of Garnacho, it was difficult at the break to argue with Ten Hag’s starting line-up. He ‘deserves his chance’ was how the Red Devils boss explained choosing him instead of Rashford.

Well, Garnacho had three chances in 41 minutes but, unfortunately for Ten Hag, missed the lot. All of which left United’s bid to climb to seventh in the table and make it three wins on the spin hanging in the balance.

Palace maybe a pale imitation of the side that ripped United to shreds in a 4-0 romp here last April but at 0-0, the jeopardy remained. By the hour mark, Ten Hag had seen enough. On came Rashford…for Zirkzee…and the assault on Palace’s goal continued in relentless fashion.

And yet it was down the other end where we came closest to a dramatic winner. Andre Onana has hardly been rock solid between the posts since his £50million arrival from Inter Milan 14 months ago, committing a number of howlers to blight his copybook.

However, the double save he produced on 66 minutes was simply astonishing. Maybe not quite as brilliant or spectacular as the one from Arsenal’s David Raya in the Champions League last week but certainly close.

The Cameroon stopper did well to keep out Eddie Nketiah’s low drive before he immediately eclipsed that by leaping up and jumping to his left to stop Palace substitute Ismailia Sarr on the rebound.

Ten Hag’s gamble may not have paid off but at least it had not backfired.