Marcus Rashford admits he’s “gutted” following bizarre Manchester United substitution vs Porto

Manchester United managed to secure a point against Porto in the Europa League, thanks to a late header from Harry Maguire.

The match began with high intensity, as Marcus Rashford opened the scoring, followed by Rasmus Højlund doubling Manchester United‘s lead after just 20 minutes, both goals capitalising on mistakes made by Porto’s goalkeeper, Diogo Costa.

However, Porto quickly responded, scoring two goals in a span of just seven minutes against Erik ten Hag‘s side. Samu Omorodion and Pepe levelled the score before the half-time whistle, dramatically shifting the momentum of the match.

Read More: Erik ten Hag makes clear Ruud van Nistelrooy claim amid Man United succession reports

In the second half, Porto took the lead with a cutback from their right flank, allowing Samu to net his second goal of the evening. United’s defence struggled to withstand the pressure.

Bruno Fernandes received a red card for the second consecutive match with 15 minutes left to play. Following some outstanding saves from André Onana, Maguire managed to equalize with a header from a Christian Eriksen corner, ensuring a point for Erik ten Hag’s team.

What many found bizarre is that goalscorer Rashford, who also set up Højlund, was substituted by Ten Hag at half-time despite being the side’s best player in the opening 45 minutes.

“Bitter Sweet,” Rashford said on Instagram in response to the fixture’s final result. “I’m happy to learn that I have broken into the top five scorers in Europe for United, but I’m gutted that we never managed to win tonight.”

After the game, Ten Hag revealed that he substituted the 26-year-old due to rotation as he wanted to keep his players fresh, which was a wholly bizarre decision considering that the English forward was the club’s most potent threat.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Ten Hag said: “We have to rotate,” he said. “Garnacho, we didn’t start him.

“He had a great game, not only on Sunday, but I think in the whole season. And so we shook them. On Sunday, we have again another hard game, good game. So we need players to be available and be fit and fresh.”

Further, Ten Hag was pressed to confirm if Rashford could have continued playing, to which he refused to answer, simply reiterating that he needs to make sure his players stay fresh.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.