ERIK TEN HAG’S desperate striker hunt rumbles on as Marcus Rashford admitted: I’m NOT the answer.
Boss Ten Hag has still not signed the No 9 he needs — just 19 days before Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Wolves.
Atalanta are demanding £86million for Rasmus Hojlund, who hit ten goals in 34 matches for the Serie A side last season.
The Dane, 20, is understood to be keen on a move but United have so far refused to offer more than £60m.
And Ten Hag looks unlikely to move for his top target Harry Kane after being told the Tottenham striker wants £30m a year — equivalent to £577,000 a week.
Frenchman Anthony Martial has just returned to training from his latest injury, while Rashford appears an obvious solution to Ten Hag’s problem position.
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But Rashford, who last week signed a new £325,000-a-week contract until 2028, warned the Dutchman he does not fancy the job full time.
He told The Overlap podcast: “I feel like at centre-forward you’ve got less distance to cover to score simple goals, I do prefer left-wing.
“Left is just easier to stay in the game and from when I was young I’ve always wanted to be involved in the game.
“That’s why I struggle when playing at centre-forward sometimes because of my patience.
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“You might not touch the ball for 20 minutes and then your first touch might be an opportunity to score. You have to be mentally switched on.”
Wout Weghorst was signed on loan from Burnley to fill the void up front last season while Martial also played when fit.
But the Frenchman missed 28 games with SIX different injuries.
And ex-Ajax chief Ten Hag has told Martial, 27, he must “take responsibility” to be available more often.
Ahead of facing Wrexham in San Diego early on Wednesday morning, Ten Hag said: “When you have a player in your squad you have to expect he is available and players have to take responsibility.
“If not, I have to deal with the situation and we have shown we can be successful without. But it’s easier when you have that striker in the team to win trophies.”
Martial netted just nine goals last season in 29 appearances having been farmed out on an unsuccessful loan to Sevilla in 2021-22 — scoring just once in 12 games.
But Ten Hag believes United were always better with him in the side.
He added: “We need a good squad and Anthony Martial is a brilliant football player so he will help us score goals.
“There are other areas like pressing and combinations, he’s just a great player, we hope he’s fit and stays fit.”
More goals is what United desperately crave after finishing with the lowest-scoring haul in the Premier League’s top six last season — just 58.
Top-scorer Rashford got a career-best tally of 30 in all competitions.
Taskmaster Ten Hag did have some criticism for the England international during the campaign about him not being switched on for the full 90 minutes of a game.
That is something he believes needs to be addressed so he can match — and even surpass — those 30 goals.
Ten Hag said: “When his attitude is right then he will do that.
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“When the team is playing well, when we keep the rules and principles and Rashford puts himself in the right positions, he will finish.
“He has great abilities in the box, he’s clinical, ruthless, he scores goals, with his right, his left, with his head.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
