Marcus Rashford: Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag unsure if striker can play Carabao Cup final

Erik ten Hag is unsure if Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford will be fit to face Newcastle in Sunday's Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Rashford, who limped off at Old Trafford in Thursday's Europa League play-off win over Barcelona, has been Man Utd's star performer since the World Cup scoring 13 goals in 15 appearances in all competitions.

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But Ten Hag is now facing an anxious wait to determine the fitness of his top scorer as he looks to end Man Utd's six-year wait for a trophy.

"I don't know [if Rashford will be available]," said Ten Hag ahead of Sunday's game.

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"Players are coming in now and we have to do medical investigations. We did some yesterday but it was so soon after the game, so most of the time you can't say. You have to wait for the 100 per cent medical diagnosis."

Anthony Martial has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Newcastle.

'Time-wasting Newcastle try to annoy you'

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Man Utd were frustrated by Newcastle in their other encounter earlier this season as Eddie Howe's side held them to a goalless draw at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag has been impressed by Howe's work but admits Newcastle can "try to annoy you".

"I think it's a great team," added the Dutchman. "They have a clear philosophy of how they want to play the game, the key word is intensity. It's an annoying team to play against.

"So we have to find a way to win the game. We have to make sure that we play our game and focus on our game."

Time-wasting uncovered: How bad is it?

Nearly half of Premier League action is inactive, lost to time-wasting, VAR deliberations and other pauses in the game - and the issue is getting worse.

Asked if Newcastle's time-wasting tactics were behind his annoyance, Ten Hag added: "The referee wants to play an effective time. They have the lowest in the league and are quite successful with it.

"So it's up to us that we get speed in the game. We're also dependent on the refereeing as well."

In January, a Sky Sports investigation revealed Newcastle had the second-lowest proportion of in-play game-time in the Premier League and had received the second-most yellow cards (5) for time-wasting.

'We have to test Karius'

Newcastle are facing a goalkeeper crisis for Sunday's final at Wembley - their first since the 1999 FA Cup final defeat to Man Utd - with Nick Pope and deputy Martin Dubravka unavailable.

Pope is suspended after being sent off against Liverpool last Saturday while Dubravaka is cup-tied having played for Man Utd during his short-term loan at Old Trafford earlier this season.

Newcastle are expected to go with former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius, who made two errors leading to goals in the 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

"That's an issue for them to sort," added Ten Hag. "Obviously we know it. It's definitely not an advantage. We have to test it that is quite obvious."

Watch Man Utd vs Newcastle on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football from 3pm; kick-off 4.30pm

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