Marcus Rashford has underlined the unity in the Manchester United squad and the "big impact" Erik ten Hag has had - just days after Cristiano Ronaldo's outburst at his manager and the club.
The Red Devils sit fifth in the Premier League after making steady progress under Ten Hag during the first half of the season. United lost their first two games but recovered to steadily rise up the table, taking three points from their final game before the World Cup break thanks to a late Alejandro Garnacho winner at Fulham on Sunday.
However, celebrations were cut short after segments of Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan were released later that evening. The superstar striker, 37, declared there is no "respect" between him and Ten Hag and said he has been betrayed by the club, who are exploring legal avenues and could even sack him as punishment.
Ronaldo's verbal barrage was not well received by his teammates, with many senior players ready for the Portugal captain to depart rather than upset the apple cart further. Ronaldo appears to be alone in his fury at the United hierarchy, with Rashford, 25, emphasising that the overriding mood in the dressing room one of harmony and hard work.
"I just think everyone's willing to fight for the person next to them and that's how it has to be," Rashford told TeamViewer Diaries. "If someone makes a mistake, you have to be there to cover. And the person that has made the mistake has to try his best to make up for it. That's how you work, you work as a team and a collective."
Turning his attention to Ten Hag, the England forward added: "He's had a big impact, with a lot of changes. It takes some time to adapt for him and the players as well. But so far, it's been good. We're enjoying working under him and we're just looking forward to what the future holds.
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"Sometimes, it can take time. But the longer we've been working together, the more that we've understood what he wants from us on the pitch. It just takes time on the training ground, and we have to keep working hard."
The environment of "team spirit" that Rashford describes could hardly be further removed from the one Ronaldo believes he is surrounded by. This goes some way to explaining why the squad appears to have grown exasperated with his antics and would prefer him to depart.
Finding a new club for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner could prove difficult, but Old Trafford chiefs are expected to try and move him on one way or another. Ten Hag has decided there is no way back following Ronaldo's interview with Morgan, which will air in full on Wednesday and Thursday.
