Man United notched another massive win in their season with the win over Barcelona on Thursday night, booking their place in the last 16 of the Europa League.
However, the joyous scenes following yet another trademark comeback may have been somewhat short-lived as fans’ thoughts now turn to the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday and, to make things even more nerve-racking, one of their key men could now be a doubt.
With his substitution coming less than two minutes before the end of the full 90, Marcus Rashford was hooked off the pitch and although it may have just been a precaution — neither ten Hag, his teammates, nor United fans wanting to risk him missing the final — a social media post suggests otherwise.
Sharing the image on his Instagram story, Rashford was pictured walking down the touchline towards the tunnel with one of his boots off along with the injured emoji.
It’s unclear how Rashford’s injury occurred or how serious it us
Fans will obviously be hoping it isn’t anything serious and that the in-form forward just picked up a slight knock, but it was hard to see if the prospective injury was the result of a challenge from the opposition.
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After the game had finished and the majority of supporters had left, the 25-year-old was also filmed exiting Old Trafford and though only slightly, he appeared to be limping.
It could simply be some shrewd, almost Fergie-esque bit sandbagging and mind games ahead of Sunday, but you’ll have to decide for yourselves.
Currently on track for his best-ever statistical season with 24 goals and nine assists in all competitions, not to mention visibly happier and more confident on the pitch, he’s been an integral part of their much improved Premier League campaign this year.
More importantly, he also loves a big game, scoring in numerous big cup ties during his time at United and having been of the key players that got them to their last EFL Cup final back in 2017 — one of the last trophies they won. Safe to say, a Rashford injury would be a huge blow for the Reds and a big boost for the Magpies.
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For now, you can watch the full highlights of Man United vs Barcelona down below:
Featured Image — Marcus Rashford (via Instagram)/Manchester United (via Twitter)
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Wigan Athletic’s James McClean reveals autism diagnosis in heartfelt Instagram message
Danny Jones
Wigan Athletic and Ireland star James McClean has revealed his recent autism diagnosis in solidarity with the ASD community and to help support the international week of awareness.
The Latics, long-serving Irish international and former Premier League winger informed his followers of the personal news in a heartwarming social media post with his young daughter who is also autistic.
In contrast to his four-year-old girl, Willow-Ivy — whose autism was recognised early on — McClean has only just learned of his own diagnosis, having “decided to go and get an ASD [autism spectrum disorder] assessment” after spotting “so many small traits in her” that he sees in himself.
Taking to Instagram, the 33-year-old said he felt there was no better time to make this announcement than during Autism Awareness and Acceptance Week (27 March-2 April) and stand in solidarity with his daughter and others who are on the spectrum.
As he details in the caption: “The last 4 years have been life-changing in the most amazing way but also very difficult at times as her daddy watching her overcome so many obstacles in her life and learning how to manage the challenges she faces on a daily basis.
“The more Erin [partner] and I learned about autism the more we began to recognise I was very similar to Willow in more ways than we thought… It’s been a bit of a journey and now having a diagnosis I feel it’s time to share it.”
He goes on to admit that he “debated for a while going public” but that he’s now “done this for Willow-Ivy, to let her know that [he] understand[s] and that being autistic won’t and should never hold her back from reaching her goals and dreams.” Such a lovely and inspiring message.
No one should ever feel like they need to hide what makes them the person that they are a secret. We applaud you for speaking out, James, and wish you and your little girl all the best.
Rodri slams ‘rubbish’ Scotland despite historic 2-0 defeat as Scott McTominay scores yet again
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Rodri has called out Scotland for their “rubbish” tactics and style of play following their now famous 2-0 win over Spain.
Scotland hosted Spain at Hampden Park stadium on Tuesday night in the first round of Euro 2024 qualifiers and after having beaten Cyprus 3-0 on 25 March, the Tartan army managed an even more significant victory over the three-time champions, beating them for the first time since 1984.
Speaking to media after the game and obviously disappointed with the result, the Man City midfielder said that he didn’t feel the scoreline fully reflected the game and had a very clear opinion on what he thought of the home side’s performance.
In a word: “rubbish”.
🇪🇸 Spain's Rodri gives his verdict on his side's loss to Scotland
"It's the way they play…for me it's a bit rubbish. Because it's always wasting time. They provoke you. They always fall. For me, this is not football." 🗣️👀#EURO2024 | #SCOESPpic.twitter.com/MIgxOOA2Cl
Rodri went on to argue that, in his mind, “this is not football”, claiming that the opposition were “always wasting time” and trying to “provoke” the Spanish players by going to ground after most tackles.
The 26-year-old was also critical of the officials, intimating that the referee had the opportunity to intervene but simply “said nothing”.
On the contrary, the Scottish reporter interviewing challenged the Spaniard by suggesting that many fans within the ground would argue that Spain were guilty of the same “in terms of how quickly the players went down”. Rodri naturally disagreed.
Either way, it wasn’t time-wasting that made the headlines on the night, it was Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, who bagged yet another brace to send the national stadium into pandemonium with his third and fourth goals for Scotland in the last two games.
The 26-year-old opened the scoring inside just seven minutes and grabbed his second similarly early into the second half with an instinctive volley.
Along with his double against Cyprus at the weekend, that makes four goals in the last two games, with many Reds noting his heroics have come a key time with the likes of Casemiro suspended and Austrian international Marcel Sabitzer potentially injured again.
McTominay might have dropped out of United’s first-choice midfield when everyone is fit but has still proven himself to be a solid squad player.
Moreover, perhaps this international break has helped him send a message to Erik ten Hag ahead of a key period for the club.
Danny Jones -
24th February 2023 
