RUBEN AMORIM has a theory on who was behind Marcus Rashford’s bombshell transfer interview — but the Manchester United boss will “forget it… for now.”
Rashford declared he is “ready for a new challenge” after being axed from Amorim’s squad for the 2-1 win over Man City.
The forward has since failed to feature in United’s following two matches, a 4-3 Carabao Cup defeat to Spurs and Sunday’s 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth in the Premier League.
And Amorim, who is being backed by United’s board, has given no guarantee that Rashford will be involved for the tricky Boxing Day trip to Wolves either.
It’s led to speculation that United’s academy product could be sold when the January transfer window opens.
Yet Amorim reckons there could be other forces at play.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Portuguese boss hinted that Rashford’s comments about leaving United may have actually stemmed from the player’s camp.
Amorim said: “It is a hard situation. 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 have understood that.
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“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.”
Amorim did offer an olive branch to Rashford though, insisting he will “forget the interview now.”
He added: “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.”
It remains to be seen if Rashford features again for United, with the forward having scored just four times in 15 league outings this season.
Speaking to journalist Henry Winter earlier this month, the England ace revealed the time felt right to pack his bags and quit Old Trafford for a fresh start elsewhere.
Rashford said: “For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.
“When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
“If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse.
“I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person.
“When I leave, I’ll make a statement, and it will be from me. It’s disheartening to be left out of a derby, but it’s happened, we won the game so let’s move on.
“It’s disappointing but I’m also someone as I’ve got older I can deal with setbacks.
“What am I going to do about it? Sit there and cry about it? Or do my best the next time I’m available?”
By Martin Lipton
MARCUS RASHFORD is at a crossroads.
But now the England star has to make the biggest choice he has ever faced – does he care about cash, or about his career?
Rashford’s shock admission that he is “ready for a new challenge” after some two decades under the Manchester United umbrella has altered the dynamic around his future.
That Rashford might not fit the blueprint of Ruben Amorim – who has now responded to Rashford’s comments – was not exactly a surprise.
The Portuguese coach prefers a 3-4-3 formation but appears to have settled on Rasmus Hojlund as his starting central striker and wants two “narrow” inside forwards, with the width coming from the wing-backs.
Rashford has always wanted to play through the middle but is often at his best exploiting spaces out wide – and that skillset does not necessarily suit the way Amorim wants to play.
Even so, going public with his evident dissatisfaction at being bombed entirely from the squad for the Manchester derby was a major move, even if he vowed there would be “no hard feelings” if he does leave his boyhood club.
In truth, Rashford has been leaving United almost from the moment he signed that new £325,000 per week contract in 2023.
Something was broken in his connection to the club. His form dropped, his threat dissipated, his issues with the hierarchy deepened.
When Erik ten Hag dropped him for hosting a birthday party after a derby defeat, and he later pulled a sickie to miss the FA Cup game with Newport, it felt even then that the writing was on the wall.
The facts suggest the love affair has ended. After scoring 30 in all competitions to earn that new deal, he has scored just 15 in the 18 months since it was signed.
Amorim’s arrival seems merely to have accelerated what was increasingly inevitable.
Now, though, it is up to Rashford to determine what his future will bring.
If it is only about the money, then his options might be somewhat limited.
It is hard to see a Prem rival coughing up the same £16.9m annual salary – although Rashford’s comments have probably knocked £20m-plus off any transfer fee, even next month.
But Real Madrid have their fill of big-money strikers and Barcelona’s budget remains restricted by La Liga financial controls.
In Europe, then, that probably leaves PSG – but a move to a one-club league.
Or, in the wider world, he could follow the likes of Ivan Toney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Firmino and Co and head to the Saudi desert.
Lucrative, yep. Certainly a different environment – and that may be exactly what Rashford both wants and needs. But the football? Not in a million years.
What Rashford needs, above all, is to be able to play for trophies and showcase his talents.
There is no better stage than the Premier League – which has far more global eyeballs on it than any other domestic competition.
And in that Premier League there is one club crying out for a goalscoring No 9, especially if he can also play down the left channel to balance out the side and widen its threat.
Rashford has always been more Longsight than London.
Yet Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta, might be the perfect fit.
The Gunners’ lack of a proper scorer is one of the major factors many fans feel has hurt their title challenge this year.
Gabriel Jesus has never been a natural finisher, while Kai Havertz is still a converted midfielder.
And while the link-up between Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka makes their right flank deadly, faith in Gabriel Martinelli on the left is waning.
There have not been too many who succeeded at Arsenal after leaving United – although Danny Welbeck was not a flop.
Rashford has all the attributes to change that history, if he can reproduce what everybody knows is inside him.
And by breaking free, giving himself the chance to start all over, Rashford can make a point to Amorim that will resonate for a very long time.
