Premier League English

Part 1: Solskjaer does a double turn

Marcus Rashford is facing a significant spell on the sidelines 

News has been circulating that even in the days leading up to his short-lived appearance against Wolves last week, Marcus Rashford was already experiencing such intense pain in his back that it was even a struggle for him to even be able to sit down for an interview with Ryan Giggs at Hotel Football adjacent to Old Trafford the weekend of the clash with Norwich that saw the Red Devils win 4-0. Interviewed on film, Rashford was feeling such physical discomfort in his back that he was compelled to stand up for major periods of the entire interview. 

Why the blazes then was the England striker so callously sent out to the wolves (couldn’t help the pun!) despite the initial concerns about his existing back problems that the United manager vouched he was well aware of and hence clearly decided to rest his star striker. However, in a sudden turnaround, the former ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ of earlier Red Devils repute  now in the aftermath fervently claims that: “We’ve had scans, we’ve monitored him, there was no injury there, just complaints.” 

This sudden reversal right after Ian Wright accuses Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of putting his own self interests before the wellbeing of Marcus Rashford somehow emits a discomfiting odour that seems to belie the truth of the actual situation regarding Rashford’s actual back injury then just prior to the game with Wolves. 

The Norwegian boss now insists that Rashford was definitely fit enough to play in the United fixture against Wolves on that fateful day that resulted in Rashford taking a hard knock against Matt Doherty just 16 minutes into the fray and had to be taken out. 

Solskjaer said in his defense that he had spoken to Rashford right before the match: 

“I had a conversation with him two days before and told him I was going to rest him. He felt fine and was very adamant that if needed, he could do at least half an hour as we wanted to go through in the cup. That shows you Marcus’s attitude.” 

Even if that was the case, Solskjaer should have exercised his authority and consigned Marcus to the sidelines to rest fully for the interests of the striker and the team in general. Not only has he failed to exercise proper, astute judgment as the manager but he has now seen it fit to shift the responsibility of his dodgy action over to Marcus himself for wantuing to play despite his injury. One could never ever fault the striker for his loyalty to the club and his team mates but what does this imply as far as Solskjaer is concerned? He’s now comfortably shirking his responsibility for the entire ugly incident.  

Solskjaer, recalcitrant as ever, has said he has no regrets for having thrown his star striker into the Wolves game. Can you believe the gall and cheek of this guy?