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Marcus Rashford: Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim questions decision-making from forward's camp after 'new challenge' quotes

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football Tuesday 24 December 2024 12:58, UK

Marcus Rashford: Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim questions decision-making from forward's camp after 'new challenge' quotes

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has questioned the decision-making from Marcus Rashford's camp following his public comments regarding his future at Old Trafford.

Rashford has been left out of the last three match-day squads after revealing he is "ready for a new challenge" to journalist Henry Winter.

Amorim had previously commented on the situation after the interview emerged but has now questioned the decision-making from those around Rashford, admitting it is not just the player at fault for the comments.

"It is a hard situation," Amorim told Sky Sports. "I understand that these players have a lot of people around them, making choices that are not the first idea from the player.

"I am always here to help Marcus as another player. I have to do what I have to do. They chose to do the interview as it is not just Marcus. I understand that.

"As a coach I focus on performance and the way you train. The rest, it is better for me and the club to deal with that when the time comes.

"At the moment I focus on improving Marcus and we need a talented guy like Marcus. I forget the interview now and see what I see on the pitch."

Sky Sports News senior reporter Melissa Reddy:

"I don't think he's conducting himself well, not just because of the timing of that interview.

"I think the way fans want to see how committed you are to your club and to your responsibilities is what you do on the pitch, is how you deal with training sessions, how you interact with your team-mates and how you basically view yourself as a representative of any football club.

"In Marcus Rashford's case, this is his boyhood club Manchester United, so it should mean more.

"Yet where people are hearing about Rashford's commitment, or his love for the club, and where it's being illustrated is on Twitter - him coming out with statements, or that interview with Henry Winter where he talks about how much he loves the club.

"There was that Players' Tribune article about 'don't ever question my commitment to United'. And that's amid him continuously breaking the rules at the club.

"So how are we not allowed to question your commitment, where we're seeing that you are calling in ill to training when actually you've been on nights out in Belfast? You're across two managers now and still not conducting yourself in a good manner.

"And the timing of that interview is disappointing because the manager has made a statement, he has dropped Rashford and [Alejandro] Garnacho.

"The next day they actually train very well, so immediately Amorim is thinking, 'OK, this situation has been handled well'. Rashford is then ill on the Monday so doesn't train, and then does this interview on the Tuesday where he says he's ready for a new challenge.

"Now, you'd think if this club means so much to you, if this is all you want and this is all you care about, you actually want to prove to your manager that this is everything.

"You've just got here, this is my life, this is my soul, this is my heart. And yet actually what he's done is said, 'no, I'm done with it, I want to go elsewhere'."

Sky Sports' Gary Neville:

"It's not looking great for both Marcus' future at the club or Manchester United keeping him. I suspect it's getting to the point in the journey where there is an inevitable ending.

"If you'd said to me eight days ago whether Rashford could leave in January, I'd say, 'no chance'.

"One thing in the past with players at a big club, if you're talking to me about it every single week, it becomes a distraction for the manager and the focal point of the press conference, that's when it does become obvious they have to leave.

"It'll probably work for both parties. There's good examples of players who have struggled at Man Utd and gone on to do better elsewhere - Jadon Sancho at Chelsea, Scott McTominay didn't struggle but he's doing well at Napoli.

"Marcus might think that's the right thing for him as well."