Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said Marcus Rashford had been exposed to “too much negativity” recently and hoped the goals would flow like ketchup from a bottle after the striker scored in the win at Southampton.

The English striker scored the second goal in his side’s 3-0 win at St. Mary’s on Saturday.

It was his first goal in any competition since March, when he scored in the 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Rashford, 26, was criticised for his performance in the 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League just before the international break, which Ten Hag felt was unfair.

“It is very important that we do not pay attention to what the outside world says, but there has been too much negativity towards him,” said the Manchester United head coach.

“He created two great chances in this game (the defeat against Liverpool) and he has played very well in other games this season.

“He deserved the goal (against Southampton) but he had to work for it. That’s what he does and then you get rewarded for it.”

Rashford has been at Manchester United for almost a decade and has scored 132 goals for the club.

Ten Hag is convinced that the 26-year-old will score many more goals for his childhood club, using an analogy once used by Cristiano Ronaldo., external

“Once a striker has talked about a ketchup bottle, once things get started, it will always come back,” added the Dutchman.

“He has already scored so many goals for Manchester United. At his age, the number of goals he has scored is astonishing and I am sure he will score many more.”