Marcus Rashford ready for Manchester United change, as mentality comments emerge again

Marcus Rashford is expecting a quick and obvious change in identity at Manchester United under the reign of Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag has taken over the reins from Ralf Rangnick after a season of disappointment at Old Trafford. The German coach could not turn around the club’s fortunes and he has since walked away from the consultancy role at United that he was primed to step into.

In fact Rangnick guided Manchester United to their worst season in the Premier League era, as they finished the campaign in sixth place. And Ten Hag has plenty to do to get the club back into Champions League contention.

The former Ajax man will be looking to import a style of play and restore confidence to a squad that looked drained.

“At the beginning of pre-season, you want to get your fitness levels up,” said Rashford, via Metro. “[You want to] get back to what it’s like to play in the Premier League.

“When a team changes its identity and changes the purpose of the football, it’ll be quite obvious to see. I think you’ll be able to see it.”

United are preparing for a pre-season tour of Thailand, where they play Liverpool in Bangkok on July 12. They will then head to Australia for matches in Melbourne and Perth against Crystal Palace, Melbourne Victory and Aston Villa.

“We all enjoy getting away and spending that time together,” added Rashford. “Being away from home for so long, it’s [the team is] like your little family.

“It’s going to be a nice feeling. We’ve not been able to travel because of Covid, and it’s something that we’ve missed.

“It’s always a big part of our pre-season so it’s exciting to be able to go to those places again.”

Rashford will be hoping to hit the ground running in pre-season after a season to forget last term.

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