Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford has already insisted he is "ready for the season" following criticism from Roy Keane last term.
The 24-year-old was among the United stars singled out for criticism following their tepid displays. Rashford came under fire from Keane following United's 4-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
United's poor showings saw them finish outside the Champions League places and they only narrowly avoid a spot in the Europa Conference League.
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The new era under Ten Hag has started positively after three wins out of four pre-season friendlies, albeit with a defensive slip-up last time out against Aston Villa. The Dutchman's no-nonsense approach has struck a chord with a frustrated fanbase who have been devoid of silverware since 2017.
Liverpool enjoyed a 9-0 aggregate win over United in their two league meetings last season. The post-match debrief following the 4-0 loss in April saw Premier League winner Keane label Rashford a 'child'. Having been left out of the squad a few weeks later, Keane then launched an astonishing attack on the England international.
"He's drifting! I think he’s lost hunger, these young players get a lot of big money and good luck to them, I think he's lost the eye of the tiger and he’s struggling to get it back," he said.
"Certainly, wherever Manchester United want to go, Marcus has been left behind, he was left out again tonight, he must be sat on the bench going 'where's it all gone wrong?'. He can get it back, he's shown it before and when you do lose it, sometimes it's hard to get back.
"I think the hunger, he’s got to get the hunger back into his game and make runs like [Anthony] Elanga tonight, hungry to succeed. Rashford has lost that bit of hunger which is huge for a player, he's a talent but we're not seeing it."
Under the stewardship of Ten Hag and with the World Cup on the horizon, all eyes are fixed on Rashford as he looks to win back his spot in Gareth Southgate's squad. More importantly for the 24-year-old, he is looking to refind his form under the new boss.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Rashford insisted he is his own harshest critic and that he's desperate to improve. He also reflected on the fact he is very rarely afforded a prolonged period of time away from the game with international commitments regularly taking up the majority of his summer.
However, with the World Cup delayed until later this year and Rashford being given time to reflect on what went wrong last season, it seems he's ready to hit the ground running and prove Keane wrong.
"For me personally, it's priceless to have the pre-season that I've had," he said." Sometimes I don't really take as much note of it because usually we're playing games in the summer and stuff like that, so the next season sort of just rolls onto the previous season.
"But this year I've had time to break, rest, recover mentally and physically, and then I've had a proper pre-season. I feel really happy. I'm pleased that I managed to do that. I think it's normal when we're not performing as we should perform [that] you get criticised," he added. "It's part and parcel of the game.
"I've always said that I'm my own harshest critic and I know when I'm not playing my best football and I know when I need to improve. Definitely, last season was a time for me to reflect on. I've had the time off in the summer and a long pre-season, so I feel a lot more ready this season."
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