'It's unacceptable!' - Marcus Rashford warned by Erik ten Hag after partying in nightclub after humiliating defeat to Manchester City

• Ten Hag labels Rashford Behaviour "unacceptable"
• Striker partied after City defeat
• Pressure mounting on manager

WHAT HAPPENED? The Dutchman cancelled his players' day off on Monday after the humiliating 3-0 defeat to their rivals on Sunday, but Rashford still attended his 26th birthday bash until the early hours. On Friday, the United boss revealed that he has spoken with the England star.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Yes, I am aware of it. I spoke with him about it," Ten Hag said during his press conference ahead of United's trip to Fulham on Saturday. "It’s unacceptable. I told him, he apologised and that is it. For us, it’s an internal matter."

When asked if Rashford was struggling to meet his demands, amid criticism that the England forward is misfiring this term, the manager defended the striker. "He is very motivated to put things right. I know how much effort he is putting in. He makes a mistake but that doesn’t say [mean] he is not fitting in. He makes one mistake but also off the pitch what he is doing, how he lives, I am sure he is doing everything right to help the team."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The pressure is mounting on Ten Hag as United have endured their worst start to a season in 61 years. His side followed up their derby day defeat with a 3-0 home loss to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. While the coach is understood to still have the backing of the club hierarchy, there are reports that some of the players are losing faith in him.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD AND TEN HAG? Rashford will look to score his first United goal in two months against Fulham on Saturday to ease the pressure on him and his manager.