Before the match, two of Man United's most criticized players last season, Erik ten Hag and Marcus Rashford, received further psychological attacks from the British media.
For Ten Hag, it was information that he would be sacked after the match at Wembley regardless of the result. Meanwhile, Rashford has become the focus of social media bribes for not being on England's preliminary list for EURO 2024.
Throughout last season, the English striker scored only 7 goals. Rashford is one of the cases that are increasingly favored at Old Trafford. Although he played very poorly, Ten Hag still used him from match to match. It was only at the end of the season, when everything was so bad that fans were angry, that the Dutch strategist put his student on the bench.
Before the FA Cup final, in addition to being criticized, Rashford was also faced with rumors that he would have to leave Old Trafford this summer. Faced with such a lot of pressure, it is unclear where the English striker will get the motivation to play in the Wembley final against Man City?
For now, Rashford's only motivation on the pitch is probably his coach Ten Hag. The Dutch strategist comforted his student a lot. The 53-year-old wants Rashford to turn his current disappointments into motivation to play his best match ever.
"I think Rashford is fine now. Every player's career is the same, with ups and downs. Therefore, know how to turn current disappointments into motivation to come back stronger. I saw that from Rashford during training.
He is a talented star and has had a good career. I am sure Rashford will get through the current period and score more goals in the future" - Ten Hag shared at the press conference before the FA Cup final.
This is a match where Ten Hag and Rashford must prove themselves if they still want to stay at Old Trafford. Last month, the Telegraph named both coaches and students on the list of players who could be liquidated this summer if M.U received a good offer. Although the information surrounding both of them before this match could be a "dirty communication" trick from those who wanted to sink M.U. However, it is undeniable that if they continue to be as bad as they have shown in the season, there is no excuse for both Ten Hag and Rashford.
It is not known how good Rashford played, but at least he was the one who scored many goals against Man City. Therefore, Ten Hag can hope to end his career with the 26-year-old striker. As for the Dutch strategist himself, in this last chance to pick up the bar, he clearly understands how dangerous everything is for him.
"We went to Wembley to win the title. Saturday night will be an opportunity for the whole team to achieve that. Over the past two years, we have had continuous reviews to see how the team is doing and what needs to be changed.
The players are in good shape, we are confident that we still have a good chance to win the next title" - Ten Hag shared.
Before the match, M.U received bad news when Harry Maguire will not be able to participate due to injury. However, other names expected such as Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are all available.
