Micah Richards has praised Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag for his handling of Marcus Rashford’s discipline.
United cruised to three points on Sunday to move to within six points of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth. Alejandro Garnacho scored twice, with Rasmus Hojlund also on target, in a 3-0 win over West Ham United.
It extended their run to three matches without defeat after back-to-back wins, as well as their draw with Spurs. Kobbie Mainoo was the hero in midweek as he scored a stoppage-time winner in their enthralling 4-3 win over Wolves at Molineux.
Richards heaped praise on the former Ajax manager and said the 54-year-old deserves credit for his work on and off the pitch. He told the Rest is Football podcast: “I think (Erik) ten Hag deserves a lot of credit.
“It’s not even just the football side, he put a marker down with the (Marcus) Rashford thing and he could have drawn it out a little bit – obviously he didn’t play in the game against Newport but then he put him straight in. Once you score, all is forgotten about and I think he’s played a blinder.
“Sometimes you are worried with how it is going to go, but I think he needs credit for that because they have needed him, and the team looks a lot better with him in the side.”
Ten Hag has endured a difficult season so far, facing pressure following their midseason blip, but has seemingly turned around their fortunes.
Prior to the hectic schedule, United were in the spotlight after Marcus Rashford missed their win over Newport County in the FA Cup and did not train with the squad due to illness after a trip to Belfast.
The 26-year-old returned to face Wolves in the West Midlands where he opened the scoring. Ten Hag described it as an ‘internal matter, and in a statement, United said: “Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed.”