26/05/2023

Marcus Rashford is burnt out and that’s why he picked up an injury in Manchester Uniteds FA Cup win over Wolves, according to Glen Johnson.
The 22-year-old was a second-half substitute for the Red Devils in their third-round replay at Old Trafford, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaers side chased the opening goal.
The breakthrough came just moments after his introduction as Juan Matas dinked finish gave United the lead and eventually a 1-0 win to send them through to the fourth-round.
Marcus Rashford faces a race to be fit for Sunday’s Premier League clash against rivals Liverpool
But the Red Devils suffered a huge blow as Rashford was forced off with an injury after just 16 minutes on the pitch, being replaced by Jesse Lingard.
Solskjaer admitted his gamble with the strikers fitness backfired after he was substituted as a precaution in their previous game, a 4-0 win over Norwich.
That match saw Rashford make his 200th appearance for his boyhood club the fourth-youngest player to reach that milestone in Uniteds history and also score two goals before his exit to take his tally this season to 19 in all competitions.
Wednesdays cup match was also his 30th appearance of the season and Johnson believes Solskjaer made a huge error not resting the England frontman, who is now likely to sit out Sundays visit to Anfield to play Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Hes obviously a fit strong lad, but games do catch up with you, the former defender told White and Sawyer.
Its the sort of injury that looks like a burn-out injury in a way there was minimal to no contact and hes just felt something in his back. You dont usually get back problems until youre much older and further down the line.
I think hes going to need some looking after.
Marcus Rashford has featured in nearly every Man United match this season, and it appears to have taken a toll on his fitness
They seem to have done the right thing in getting him off the pitch early enough against Norwich, but then they make a huge error by bringing him on last night.
The player is going to want to play – as footballers you dont care if youre 50, 60 or 70 per cent, you still want to play – so its up to the backroom staff to protect him.
They knew he came off in the game before as a precaution, and that was the right decision, so they should have protected him further by not even putting him on the bench.
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Youre either fit enough to play or youre not. If youre not fit theres no point being on the bench.
Thats where I think the backroom staff should look after him better, because if the player is given the chance to play, even if hes 50 per cent hes going to want to play.
Now hes going to be out for longer and potentially miss this big game, and its no good for him, his team-mates, or the club. It was a negative for all of them yesterday.
Watch a clip of Glen Johnson on talkSPORT above!