Marcus Rashford decision explained by Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag with forward dropped for Crystal Palace clash

Rashford scored as United cruised to a 3-0 win over Southampton last week.

And he was also on target as the Red Devils thumped Barnsley 7-0 in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, too.

Ten Hag has, however, opted to leave Rashford on the bench for tonight's showdown as he looks to secure a third win on the spin.

Andre Onana starts in goal, with the Cameroon international behind a back four featuring Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Diogo Dalot.

In midfield, Kobbie Mainoo, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes get the nod.

And United have opted to go with Joshua Zirkzee up top, with Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho deployed on the flanks.

JUST IN: West Ham fans demand immediate Julen Lopetegui sacking after crushing defeat to Chelsea

Ten Hag, speaking before the fixture in the capital, says he's left Rashford out of his starting XI because he feels he needs to 'rotate'.

He said: “We need to rotate. No one can play all the games.

"Garnacho has had end product and he hasn’t started. He needs starts. Rotation is good.

"Is it difficult to bench Rashford? No, it's not difficult because you have to rotate. Nobody can play every game and Garnacho also needs to start to continue to improve."

READ MORE:Emma Raducanu blasted by tennis fans for smiling after Korea Open withdrawal - 'At least pretend to look sad'

Ten Hag then proceeded to praise Garnacho.

The 54-year-old added: "He [Garnacho] is very important, but he is not the only one. We need a lot of qualities, but obviously his ability to score.

"Rashford has it too. Hojlund, Zirkzee, Bruno [Fernandes] have it too. Don't forget Amad who can score goals."

Meanwhile, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Ten Hag suggested 'lifestyle' problems for Rashford hampered his form last term.

LATEST SPORTS NEWS:

• Laila Rouass shares stunning selfie hours after split from Ronnie O'Sullivan
• Sir Alex Ferguson makes emotional admission in BBC interview as Man Utd icon opens up on retirement
• Lewis Hamilton picks out negative despite finishing third in Singapore GP qualifying - 'Bit of a shame'

After scoring 30 goals in the 2022/23 season, Rashford netted just eight times last year.

And Ten Hag says the forward will only get back to his best if he looks after himself away from the pitch.

"I think he always knew. Every player knows, when your lifestyle is not right you can't perform in the league we have to perform in," he said.

"You don't get the right levels if you don't have a good and disciplined life away from Carrington.

"He needed some help, by backing him, for instance. But he has to do it himself, at the end of the day.

"He has to set his life right, his training attitude right, he has to set his match attitude right. When he sets his professionalism he will perform because he's a class player."