"It’s bold but it could come back to bite him" - Chelsea legend claims Erik ten Hag made a mistake by dropping Manchester United star

Chelsea legend Joe Cole feels Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has made a rod for his own back by dropping Marcus Rashford from his starting line-up citing disciplinary reasons.

Manchester United earned a narrow 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League today, December 31. It was Rashford who scored the winner for the side at Molineux.

Ten Hag notably made a bold decision by dropping an in-form Rashford from his starting line-up ahead of the match. Speaking before the game, he revealed that the relegated the attacker to the bench due to disciplinary reasons.

The Dutchman then brought Rashford on at the start of the second half with the scoreline reading 0-0. The 25-year-old went on to score the only goal of the game in the 76th minute and also had another goal ruled out.

While Ten Hag's decision seemingly paid off, Cole has admitted that he is skeptical about it. The former Chelsea attacker believes the Manchester United manager's stance could come back to bite him. He told BT Sport [via The Metro]:

"The problem with it is when you put those rules down you make a rod for your own back. That’s not a huge game today [Saturday; ed.]. If a player comes down late is he going to drop him?"

"It sounds good and the Man United fans will be saying he’s done the right thing, he’s disciplined him and he’s putting down standards but there are always going to be players who will be late."

"If you go that strong on it there might be a big game that Man United are involved in and might need Marcus Rashford, or whoever is late for the start. It’s bold but it could come back to bite him."

Cole expressed his doubts over whether Ten Hag would drop key players citing similar reasons when Manchester United have a big match coming up. He said:

"They’ve also had no-nonsense managers in Van Gaal and Mourinho who tried to influence standards at the club. It’s alright when you’re winning games but when you start losing you might start losing a few players."

"Look I like but I just question there will be a time in his reign when a few players will be late for a big game it will be interesting to see if he drops them."

---

Manchester United dropped Cristiano Ronaldo against Chelsea

Ten Hag, though, has already shown that he is not fazed about dropping a big player even when there is a big match. He notably left Cristiano Ronaldo out of the squad for the Red Devils' game against Chelsea in October.

The Dutchman dropped the Portuguese icon from his matchday squad against Chelsea after he refused to come on as a substitute in the team's previous game. Ronaldo has since joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr after having had his deal with the club mutually terminated.