Rashford explains why he took hat-trick penalty away from Fernandes as Man Utd share goals around

Marcus Rashford has explained why he took a hat-trick penalty away from Bruno Fernandes against Istanbul Basaksehir, with Manchester United eager to spread their goals around.

Portuguese playmaker Fernandes put in another talismanic performance during the Red Devils’ last Champions League outing.

Fernandes netted twice inside the opening 19 minutes, and had an opportunity to claim the match ball before half-time.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were awarded a spot-kick 10 minutes before the break, but it was Rashford who stepped up to convert from 12 yards.

Fernandes was unable to add to his individual tally in the rest of a comfortable 4-1 win for United, with a first treble in English football eluding him.

Rashford has now revealed why he took the ball off the Red Devils’ go-to penalty taker, with collective spirit considered to be more important at Old Trafford than personal accolades.

“There was a similar situation during the Leipzig game when I could have got my first career hat-trick,” the England international forward told Stretty News. 

“As a striker your confidence comes from scoring goals consistently and for that reason it was important Tony [Martial] had the opportunity to get on the scoresheet.

“Thankfully I got the hat-trick and we got a fantastic result against a very tough team but what was important at the time was that the team felt good, confident and motivated to push on with the upcoming run of fixtures.

“It’s a really busy time and we all play a role in the team’s success.”

Champions League football is providing a springboard for United in 2020-21, with three wins taken from four testing fixtures so far, and Rashford is hoping that momentum established in continental action can be transferred into an inconsistent domestic campaign.

He added, with United sat 10th in the Premier League table: “Champions League nights have been the highlight of the season so far.

“It’s so great to be back in the competition. We have turned up in those fixtures ready to fight and show what we can do, playing and scoring goals of the highest quality.

“If we can achieve that game in, game out then the possibilities are endless. It’s all about consistency.”

United will be back in action on Sunday when they take in a trip to Southampton.