Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has said that he has "a lot of sympathy" for Marcus Rashford amid the forward's struggles for form during the 2023-24 campaign.

The England international scored 30 goals and registered 10 assists in 56 appearances during the 2022-23 campaign, which led to him being handed a big-money deal at Old Trafford.

Rashford has struggled this season, though, only managing eight goals and five assists in 40 appearances, and he has faced heavy criticism for his underwhelming displays.

The 26-year-old missed Wednesday's Premier League clash against Sheffield United due to the injury which forced him off against Coventry City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.

Rashford is again set to be absent against Burnley on Saturday, with Ten Hag revealing that only Mason Mount from the current crop of injured players will be able to return.

Erik ten Hag insists Marcus Rashford needs support

The forward quote-tweeted a post from a fan account on X on Friday morning, writing: "I appreciate your support! It is abuse and has been for months. Enough is enough."

Ten Hag has now insisted that the Englishman needs to be supported during a difficult period.

"I have a lot of sympathy for Rashy, of course. Last year, he had a brilliant season; I think the best in his career. I think it was 30 goals. We can see what he is capable of," Ten Hag told reporters during his press conference on Friday.

"This season, he hasn't given the performances and people are very critical and I think we have to back him. Everyone should back him and should push him to get back to the levels he had last year.

"I think he needs the support. We all know what he is capable of, so we have to support him, but we also have to push him because he can do better than he is doing this year. We have seen last year, where he was really brilliant."

Could Marcus Rashford leave Man United this summer?

The contract that Rashford signed at Old Trafford last summer is due to run until the summer of 2028.

Man United are not believed to have any plans to move their academy product on despite the ongoing speculation surrounding his future.

The Red Devils would likely want a fee of close to £100m to consider a sale, and there are not expected to be any offers of anywhere close to that during the upcoming transfer window.

Paris Saint-Germain continue to be linked with the Englishman, and it is true that the French champions are in the market for a replacement for Kylian Mbappe.

However, Luis Enrique's side are not believed to be planning a move for Rashford this summer, and with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich off the table, it appears almost certain that the attacker will remain at Old Trafford for at least one more season. body check tags ::