Manchester United's decision to exclude Marcus Rashford from their Premier League match against Fulham has been clarified. The absence of our number 10 was due to injury as the team bounced back from consecutive home defeats to Manchester City and Newcastle United with a 1-0 victory over Fulham, courtesy of Bruno Fernandes' late goal.
Although Rashford traveled with the rest of the squad, the Manchester-born forward was unable to participate in the match in west London due to a leg injury. During training, he suffered a significant knock to his leg, preventing him from completing the final session before the game.
In the morning, Rashford underwent a fitness test where it was determined that he was not fit to play. Erik ten Hag confirmed this during his pre-match interview with TNT Sports, stating that Rashford had traveled with the team but his leg injury did not improve sufficiently. When questioned about whether Rashford would have been in the starting lineup considering recent events, the manager responded affirmatively, emphasizing the need to move on from the matter.
Ten Hag made six changes to the lineup from the Carabao Cup match earlier in the week. Aaron Wan-Bissaka returned to the starting lineup after an injury absence since early September, replacing Sergio Reguilon at right-back. Diogo Dalot shifted to the left-back position. Victor Lindelof was unavailable due to illness, and Jonny Evans partnered with Harry Maguire in central defense.
In midfield, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, and Scott McTominay formed a new combination, with Casemiro sidelined due to a hamstring injury. Rasmus Hojlund started as the forward.