Coach Ten Hag: 'Rashford is injured because of a tight schedule'

"We have to wait, he doesn't look very good," coach Ten Hag told BT Sport after Man Utd's win over Everton. "Again, this is a consequence of the schedule. You can't play three games in six days. We have to protect the players. Everyone wants to see the best on the pitch, everyone wants to watch football. class and entertainment. But the team also needs the best players."

Rashford set up Anthony Martial to make it 2-0 in the 72nd minute. Six minutes later, he was sore in the thigh area. After about two minutes of medical care, the England international left the field to make way for Wout Weghorst. Coach Ten Hag said that he needs to wait for the diagnosis from the doctor to know the extent of the injury of the player who has scored 27 goals this season. The possibility of Rashford participating in next week's Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla is still open.

The Man Utd strategist also admitted he was planning to replace Rashford before he got injured, but would like to see a combination of the 25-year-old striker and Anthony Martial - the new player returning from injury.

Coach Ten Hag was also angry when the Premier League organizers ranked Man Utd against Everton at noon on Saturday (local time), after playing late in the previous round against Newcastle on Sunday night. That means Man Utd have to play three games against Newcastle, Brentford and Everton in just six days.

"Some things you can't avoid but this is completely avoidable," coach Ten Hag criticized the organizing committee's scheduling. "They don't schedule properly. Studies show that all players need a certain amount of time to recover."

Man Utd have played 49 matches this season, and a maximum of 16 games are expected in the Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup. Since the start of the season, Rashford has played 52 matches at club and national team level.

Against Everton, Man Utd created many good opportunities in the first half, but only once succeeded in the first 45 minutes thanks to Scott McTominay's goal. That caused the host to continue to strain in the second half, before Martial sealed a 2-0 victory. Coach Ten Hag was not completely satisfied, although Man Utd won and temporarily ranked third with three points more than Newcastle. "We have to be more ruthless," he said. "The match should have been arranged in the first half, but we couldn't.