Manchester United beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in their last game of 2022.
United emerged victorious courtesy of a goal from second half substitute Marcus Rashford.
The result has now left United in fourth position, two points above Tottenham Hotspur.
While Rashford will receive all the praise and rightly so for his 76th-minute strike in what was ultimately a hard-earned victory at Molineux, it did not start well for the Englishman.
Rashford started on the bench, with Erik ten Hag taking his place naming Alejandro Garnacho in the starting eleven.
His non-inclusion came as a shock, considering his current electric form and scoring streak.
Ten Hag confirmed before the game that the attacker was left out of the starting eleven for reasons of “internal discipline”.
The United manager did not provide further clarity on the exact nature of those reasons.
However, it seems that there is no cause for alarm and that everything is going well between the coach and the player.
After the game, Rashford and Ten Hag were photographed embracing warmly, with Ten Hag no doubt congratulating the winger on his excellent contribution.
Ten Hag says any issues between him and Rashford are fixed ???? pic.twitter.com/V9TPpI43A1
— UtdFiction (@UtdFiction) December 31, 2022
???? pic.twitter.com/CxdwzrNmHW
— utdreport (@utdreport) December 31, 2022
When Rashford scored, Ten Hag was the happiest man at Molineux as he broke into jubilant celebrations.
The Dutchman repeatedly pumped the air in jubilation from the touchline. Rashford took responsibility after the game and reiterated that the reason he was dropped from the starting lineup is that he was late as a result of oversleeping.
“These are the rules of the team. It is an error that can happen. Obviously disappointed not to play, but I understand the decision.”
“I arrived a little late. I slept late, I overslept.”
Marcus Rashford: “It’s the team rules. It’s a mistake that can happen. Obviously disappointed not to play, but I understand the decision.” [@btsportfootball]
— utdreport (@utdreport) December 31, 2022
Marcus Rashford: “I was a little late. I fell asleep, I fell asleep.” [@btsportfootball]
— utdreport (@utdreport) December 31, 2022
United take on Bournemouth next and Rashford is likely to return to the starting XI.
