Manchester United sweat over the fitness of Marcus Rashford ahead of the cup final
According to The Athletic (subscription required), Manchester United are sweating over the fitness of star forward Marcus Rashford ahead of the Carabao Cup Final on Sunday.
Rashford played the majority of the Barcelona game in the Europa League on Thursday but came off with his left boot in hand. Moments before the substitution, he needed some treatment before soldiering on.
With a quick turnaround from Barcelona to Newcastle United in the cup final at Wembley, the player would not have much time to recover if he has a fitness concern of some sort.
Marcus Rashford is in race against time to be fit for the Carabao Cup Final. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Here’s what United boss Erik ten Hag said about the fitness issues of the squad (h/t The Athletic):
“I don’t know, the players now are coming in, we have to do investigations, medical of course, we did straight after the game, but most of time you have to wait for a 100 per cent diagnosis. So let’s do the medical, the work, we have to wait.”
The boss has confirmed that Anthony Martial is not available for Sunday. Keeping that in mind, if Rashford somehow misses the game, it would be a massive loss for the Red Devils.
We all know the 25-year-old is in the form of his life, especially after the World Cup. He has scored 24 goals in all competitions so far. We wouldn’t be surprised if he crosses the 30-goal mark by May.
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Sunday is the first opportunity for this squad to lift a trophy. The last time the club lifted a major trophy was back in 2017. So, we have waited a long time to taste success.
The good thing about this season is that we are alive in all four competitions going into March. Hence, while winning the Carabao Cup will feel good, there are more silverwares to be had before the end of May.
Ten Hag would like to take it one game at a time though. So, all the focus now is on the Newcastle game. It won’t be easy against a team who had a full week off to prepare, unlike us who only have two days.
