Marcus Rashford says Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is “a joy to work with.”
Ten Hag succeeded interim manager Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford at the end of last season, and although there have been several bumps in the road, including a humbling 6-3 derby defeat to Manchester City a humiliating 4-0 loss at Brentford, United seem to be on an upward trajectory under the Dutchman.
The Red Devils have taken eight points from the last 12 on offer in the Premier League, including beating Tottenham 2-0 in convincing fashion and snatching a draw at Chelsea last weekend.
West Ham visit Old Trafford on Sunday, with a victory enough to see Ten Hag’s side leapfrog Chelsea into fifth place.
United’s leading scorer with six goals from 14 appearances, Rashford has also contributed three assists after being given a new lease of life under former Ajax boss Ten Hag.
Rashford has put his return to form and renewed confidence down to Ten Hag, with the attacker – who turns 25 on Monday – telling Sky Sports: “The manager’s a joy to work with, really.
“Is it hard work? Yeah, but I think we are enjoying it and we’re playing better football.”
With the World Cup in Qatar approaching, Rashford – who has not featured for England since missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out defeat to Italy in July 2021 – will be hoping his form will earn him a place in Gareth Southgate’s selection.
“I feel like I’m getting there [close to his best form],” he said. “But, yeah, I’m a lot happier, I’m enjoying myself a lot more.”
Rashford believes the character shown by United in their late comeback against Chelsea proves the work Ten Hag has done is paying off.
“Everyone’s up for it, everyone’s up for the challenge, up for the fight. For me, the epitome of that was the Chelsea game,” he added. “We conceded late on and we still had the courage and the determination to score again late on.
“We were disappointed with the draw, but when you look at the wider scheme of things it’s great character. We know that we’ve got it but to show it is another thing.
“I think it’s a little bit of everything, but it’s definitely something that you have to build.
“We’ve had some new signings come in and we’ve just managed to make it work and build that team spirit as quickly as we did.
“I feel like the players have integrated well and we’re learning about each other more and more.”