"Marcus has paid for it" - Paul Scholes slams Manchester United star Marcus Rashford after he's benched for Wolverhampton clash

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has responded to Erik ten Hag dropping Marcus Rashford for disciplinary reasons against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rashford was surprisingly named on the bench for the Red Devils' encounter with Wolves at Molineaux tonight (December 31).

Ten Hag said that the decision was due to "internal disciplinary reasons." Scholes was part of BT's coverage for the game, and he commented on the situation. He reckons Marcus Rashford was likely dropped due to lateness: (via TeamTalk):

“It’s difficult to know the truth really, internal disciplinary, you think lateness."

Scholes then commended Ten Hag for his management, saying that he likes how the Dutch coach has handled the situation:

“To stand by his guns, we’ll see if it’s a wise decision. I love the way he deals with it. Marcus Rashford today would be the first name in the team, but he’s obviously done something that’s upset him, the rest of the team. Marcus has paid for it.”

Rashford has been in red-hot form this season, scoring ten goals and providing four assists in 20 appearances across competitions. He has returned to form under Ten Hag after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, where he managed just five goals and two assists in 32 games.

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Ten Hag's discipline of Manchester United's Marcus Rashford is akin to Cristiano Ronaldo's

Ronaldo (left) was similarly punished by Ten Hag.

Ten Hag showed who the boss is at Manchester United earlier in the season when a difficult situation with Cristiano Ronaldo ensued. The Portuguese forward was handed a one-match ban after refusing to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in October.

Ronaldo later gave an explosive interview on the club and revealed that he did not respect Ten Hag. The iconic striker soon departed the Red Devils, with player and club mutually agreeing to terminate his contract.

Ten Hag explained that there was no way back after Ronaldo's comments, and United legend Rio Ferdinand alluded to that in his assessment of the Rashford situation. He said (via the aforementioned source):

“You think back to when we played, if the manager showed weakness, it’s like the Cristiano Ronaldo situation, we can all have our opinion, but the most important people are those in that changing room."

It remains to be seen why Rashford was disciplined by the Dutch coach, but the Manchester United boss has continuously shown that he will not allow a lack of professionalism under his management.