Erik ten Hag praised Marcus Rashford’s reaction after the striker stepped off the bench to clinch victory at Wolves having been dropped for being late to a team meeting because he overslept. Ten Hag reiterated that all of his players must play by the rules after Rashford missed Manchester United’s pre-match meeting. Rashford entered at half-time in place of Alejandro Garnacho and scored the only goal of the game to help United into the top four for the first time this season. United have won eight of their past nine matches and victory at Molineux means they have won five straight games for the first time since April 2021. “Everyone has to meet standards and the rules,” Ten Hag said of his decision to omit Rashford. “We have to be consistent. That is also what I expect on the pitch otherwise we can’t be successful. “I think he gave the right answer. After the decision, he came in and was bright, he was lively, he scored a goal. It was the right reaction. Everyone has to follow rules and values.” Rashford’s 76th-minute strike was his 11th of the campaign, more than double his tally of five from last season. The forward said he understood the decision to drop him. “I was a little bit late [for the meeting],” he said. “I overslept. It’s the team rules. It’s a mistake that can happen. I was disappointed not to play but I understand. I think we can draw a line under it and move on. I’m in a good place and I’m just pleased with the way we are progressing.” Ten Hag has been known to take a hardline approach with his players. The 18-year-old Garnacho, who took Rashford’s place in the starting lineup but was replaced at the interval, did not feature on their pre-season tour after reporting late for two team meetings and Cristiano Ronaldo was banished from first-team training by Ten Hag and excluded from their draw at Chelsea in October as punishment for refusing to come on against Tottenham. Luke Shaw endorsed Ten Hag’s decision and suggested a lack of discipline has been problematic in previous seasons. “People can’t do whatever they want,” he said. “At a top club it has to be like that. Maybe that’s been part of the problem in the past. If you’re not keeping the standards high, you won’t play. It’s a massive win for us, especially after a poor first half.”