Erik ten Hag dropped Marcus Rashford against Wolves but brought him off the bench with his team in need of a goal (Picture: Getty)
Joe Cole fears Erik ten Hag’s decision to drop Marcus Rashford against Wolves could come back to haunt the Manchester Untied manager.
The in-form England international was benched by his manager at Molineux after it transpired he had overslept and subsequently arrived late for a team meeting.
Ten Hag’s no nonsense approach has already seen the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Alejandro Garnacho disciplined by the former Ajax boss who has been keen to instil a new culture at Old Trafford.
After spending opening 45 minutes on the bench, Rashford was summoned at the start of the second period and gave the perfect response to his manager by scoring the winning goal which helped United extend their winning run to five games.
Ten Hag’s gamble was backed by United defender Luke Shaw after the game, but former Chelsea star Joe Cole fears he has made a rod for his own back and will face an impossible scenario if a key player commits a similar offence ahead of a must-win game later in the season.
He told BT Sport: ‘The problem with it is when you put those rules down you make a rod for your own back.
‘That’s not a huge game today. If a player comes down late is he going to drop him? It sounds good and the Man United fans will be saying he’s done the right thing, he’s disciplined him and he’s putting down standards but there are always going to be players who will be late.
‘If you go that strong on it there might be a big game that Man United are involved in and might need Marcus Rashford, or whoever is late for the start. It’s bold but it could come back to bite him.
‘They’ve also had no-nonsense managers in Van Gaal and Mourinho who tried to influence standards at the club.
‘It’s alright when you’re winning games but when you start losing you might start losing a few players… look I like but I just question there will be a time in his reign when a few players will be late for a big game it will be interesting to see if he drops them.’
MORE : Paul Scholes warns Marcus Rashford and fears there are two reasons he could leave Manchester United
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
‘He’s made a rod for his own back.’
