ERIK TEN HAG said he wanted to send Marcus Rashford to non-league Macclesfield - but he just did not have enough strikers.

The forward found himself in hot water twice last season and was disciplined by Manchester United.

First Rashford was sanctioned after arriving late for a team meeting after apparently oversleeping.

He was left on the bench for the next match against Wolves - that was strike one.

His next slip-up was more serious as Rashford skipped training to travel to Belfast.

Man Utd subsequently fined him two weeks wages after Rashford claimed illness forced him to miss training.

That second act of defiance apparently did not sit well with Ten Hag, who wanted to take a hardline approach to dealing with the England star.

According to Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag made his feelings clear to a confidant during a team meeting.

The confidant reportedly joked to Ten Hag that if Rashford stepped out of line in the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, he would have been sent to seventh-tier Macclesfield.

Ten Hag assured the confidant that if he had enough forwards he would have sent Rashford to Macclesfield himself.

Rashford, 27, has since been shipped out on loan to Aston Villa as Ten Hag's successor Ruben Amorim was also unhappy with his attitude.

Amorim slammed Rashford's training levels, while the player himself admitted he was ready for a new challenge.

And he has risen to the task at Villa Park so far, with fans very impressed with his early form.