March 17, (THEWILL) – Erik ten Hag heaped praise on Marcus Rashford for his never-say-die attitude as the striker scored his 25th European goal for Manchester United in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League win over Real Betis.
Rashford scored a stunning winner from the edge of the box in the second half, propelling United into the quarter-finals with a 5-1 aggregate victory. Despite Rashford missing a few chances earlier in the game, ten Hag lauded the English international’s persistence.
“The team was creating some chances. Rashy had some chances before and he missed some but he kept his belief, he kept trying, and got his reward,” he said. “All good strikers know that not every chance you will get a goal but at this level, you don’t create five or six chances in a game so one of the two has to be in.”
Rashford has been in sensational form since the World Cup break, scoring 19 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions. “It tells you something about the team’s performance,” ten Hag added. “It tells you something about him. If he keeps the focus and makes sure he has the energy, and the way he has to play in that system and style, he will get in scoring positions and then it’s about him, he has the ability to finish.”
The game also marked a significant milestone for Facundo Pellestri, who was handed his first United start two-and-a-half years after joining the club. “For Facundo, it was great to come in, he had some good moments,” ten Hag commented during his post-match interview.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
