Man Utd’s Rashford backed to rub it in Mourinho’s face after proving him wrong

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has backed Marcus Rashford to continue leaving Jose Mourinho with egg on his face after already proving the former Red Devils head coach wrong. Mourinho had been previously criticised over his treatment of the England man during their time together and later critiqued Rashford’s ability to be the club’s talisman. After departing Old Trafford in 2018, Mourinho appeared on Sky Sports and lamented Rashford’s goalscoring capabilities. The Portuguese tactician insisted that Rashford would not be able to reach 30 goals in a season, a feat he recently hit under Ten Hag. “I am not going to say he cannot ever be a number nine,’ Mourinho said in 2019 when asked to assess Rashford’s game. “He can be a dangerous number nine especially if the opposition is not pragmatic, is not close and is giving spaces to attack. He can be dangerous in transitions. “But when Manchester United is a team that normally plays against teams who go to Old Trafford, close the door, bring the bus, bring the double bus, he is not a striker to play with his back to the goal. Marcus Rashford has been backed to prove Jose Mourinho wrong. (Image: Getty) “He is not the target man, he doesn’t score as many goals as a striker should do. So I think from the side you will get him to numbers of 10-12 goals per season. As a number nine I don’t think he has the 30 goals a season in him. I don’t think he can get better as a target man. To be better as a target man is difficult for him.” Rashford has since often led the line following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure and last season he scored 30 goals in a season for the first time, surpassing Mourinho’s estimation. His stunning displays earned the 25-year-old a bumper new contract and Ten Hag has since tipped him to continue proving the now- Roma boss wrong by going one further this campaign. Jose Mourinho insisted that Marcus Rashford would not score 30 goals in a season. (Image: Sky Sports)