(Football news) Before his match at Goodison Park against Everton, Rashford has only once scored in 16 outings for the 20-time English champions this season.
The 26-year-old was once again finding it difficult to get going against the Toffees over the weekend, but he scored his first goal for the club since the match against Arsenal at the beginning of September in the second half after winning a penalty.
In light of Rashford’s suspension, Fernandes talked on how critical it is to give his teammate more confidence before a busy stretch of games, starting with Manchester United’s Champions League match against Galatasaray.
With the game hanging at 1-0, the Portugal international is the team’s go-to penalty taker. He was expected to enter the field when Ashley Young took down Anthony Martial inside the penalty area.
But Rashford, an England international, scored with a forceful finish to extend Manchester United’s lead when Fernandes instead gave the ball to him. In the 75th minute, Martial added a third goal for the visitors.
“[I did it] because I felt Marcus [Rashford] needed a little bit of confidence, he needed his goal,” Bruno told Sky Sports News after the clash at Goodison Park.
“Marcus is an excellent penalty taker too, I am 100% sure he could score that penalty. It is not about who takes it, it is about scoring and Marcus did it perfectly.
“I think we all know strikers and wingers want to score goals, they need to score, that is part of their game. It gives you more of a boost and as you saw after the goal Marcus was unstoppable. He could take on everyone.
“Sometimes you need this opportunity to get your confidence back and Marcus has been great for us. Last year he was amazing so therefore everyone’s expectations for this season have been a lot higher. It is just about getting his goals back and everyone saying he is world class again.”
Erik ten Hag, the head coach of Man United, commended Fernandes for his choice to allow his teammate to regain his self-assurance.
“You saw how great a captain Bruno is. He could see, feel, assess that his teammate needed that goal. Also he had the confidence in Rashy to take the penalty because he knows he is a very good penalty taker. ‘Take that ball and take your confidence.’ As a team, you need that,” he added.
“You need such leadership and you back each other, you cover each other and you give each other the confidence because you know you need it to get a successful season.”
Manchester United still has a chance to advance to the competition’s last-16 round, so they travel to Galatasaray for a crucial match in the Champions League.
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