'I will talk to him' - Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag gives cryptic response to woeful Marcus Rashford performance in drab defeat to Newcastle

Rashford turned in an absolutely dismal performance against Newcastle, leading one frustrated fan to compile a list of his 11 mistakes in the first half. The striker failed to provide any support to the defence, touched the ball just 22 times - the second-lowest of any starter behind Anthony Martial - and failed to have a shot on goal. He was substituted on the hour mark for Antony.

United's dismal defeat leaves them seventh, four points behind current fourth-placed team Aston Villa. They could drop to eighth on Sunday if Brighton beat Chelsea.

Ten Hag refused to be drawn on his opinions on Rashford's performance but insisted he will speak to the England international one-on-one. He told TNT Sports: "I will talk to him and not the media."

The United boss was also disappointed with his side's first half display, but felt they did enough to score - Antony had a late goal ruled out before it struck Harry Maguire, who was offside. He added: "As I said, I will talk with my team. We had some chances. We thought we scored a goal but it was offside. We could have scored."

The club need to find some consistency, having also been dealt a damaging blow in the Champions League in midweek when they drew 3-3 with Galatasaray. Ten Hag will have to gee his players up for the clash with Chelsea in midweek, as two of the league's most underwhelming sides come head-to-head.