Erik Ten Hag is furious at the Premier League for scheduling the Everton game as an early Saturday kick-off

Erik ten Hag has slammed Premier League scheduling after Manchester United’s star striker Marcus Rashford limped out of their 2-0 win over Everton.

Rashford will have a scan after experiencing groin discomfort, and ten Hag questioned why United was given the lunchtime Saturday fixture after being scheduled to face Newcastle as the televised match last Sunday night – making it three games in less than six days with a win against Brentford squeezed in between.

United has already played 49 games this season, with 16 more scheduled in the league, Europa League, and FA Cup. Rashford has already appeared in 52 matches for both club and country.

After initially telling television that Rashford’s prognosis could be ‘bad,’ ten Hag stated that the club was now in an anxious wait.

‘I’m not sure. ‘I’m not a doctor,’ the United manager explained. ‘We have to wait and see how bad or good it is. He obviously left with a grumble. We’ll have to wait until it’s diagnosed before we can tell.’

Ten Hag admitted he considered taking Rashford before he limped gingerly away to the dressing room after 81 minutes, but he wanted to see him partner Anthony Martial, who had recently returned from injury.

Instead, he went after the administrators for putting players like Rashford in danger.

‘Somethings are unavoidable, but this was. Why were we given the late late Sunday night game and the early Saturday game by the Premier League? ‘I don’t think it’s right,’ he said.

‘You run the risk of players not being able to recover that quickly. All of the science and research indicates that the players require a certain amount of time to recover.

‘If it’s one game after another, it adds up.

‘We’ve found ourselves in this situation, and all we can do now is hope he (Rashford) doesn’t droop off.

‘At this point in the season, no manager would rotate so much. It was unnecessary to set the schedule in this manner, and from a sporting standpoint, we want variety.’

Martial came off the bench to score and could be crucial if Rashford is ruled out. ‘We have to keep him fit, and he has to keep himself fit,’ ten Hag explained. ‘He has a clinical streak.’