'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Fans have been vocal about Marcus Rashford's lackluster performance during Manchester United's recent FA Cup win against Nottingham Forest.
While the Red Devils managed to secure the win, thanks to a late goal from Casemiro, Rashford did not meet expectations. The forward has not been at his best this season, scoring just five goals in total. It's a far cry from last season, where he managed an impressive 30 goals across all competitions.
Against Nottingham Forest, he played as a striker to lead the line, but he was quite poor at it. He had just two shots, with none on target, and he did not exactly help out defensively. His poor performance led BBC pundit Alan Shearer to directly call out the forward, saying (via Daily Mail):
"Come on Marcus, get up. Stop waving your arms around. You've got to do better. I don't like his body language at times. He's trying to send a message out to the fans, it's not my fault. You as an individual have to take responsibility now and again for your actions on the pitch. Get up and get on with it."
Manchester United fans generally embraced these sentiments, as they took to social media to slam Marcus Rashford after the game. One fan said:
"Rashford was absolutely shocking again today, it’s like he can’t run anymore"
Another fan factually added as goalkeeper Andre Onana had 42 touches of the ball compared to Rashford's 30:
"Onana had more touches than rashford tonight"
Here is a selection of their posts:
Another fan complained:
A fan claimed:
Another fan said:
Erik ten Hag stands by Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes amid criticism
Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag has come out in support of Bruno Fernandes following backlash on social media. However, Ten Hag has slammed Fernandes' critics. In his press conference after the game, the manager said (via GOAL):
"You saw Forest was targetting him, I'm not going to say what he has but it's a serious injury and seeing how serious it was, they criticise him on social media and it's pathetic and can't be."
The Manchester United manager continued:
"He has a serious injury but he continues to play on Saturday [against Fulham], he fought to be part of this game. He has a very pain threshold, last year he did something similar at Spurs and the semi-final and it shows his leadership and that is very good when you are a leader, it flows into the team."
Fernandes was key in providing much-needed impact with his assistance for Casemiro late in the game. Casemiro's goal was enough for Manchester United to progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
