THE explanation behind Marcus Rashford’s shock Manchester United axe has been revealed.
Rashford, 27, scored three in Ruben Amorim’s first two Premier League games in charge.
He grabbed the opener two minutes in against Ipswich before helping himself to a double as United thrashed Everton 4-0.
But then Amorim dumped Rashford out of the starting XI for the defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
And he has not featured in the Premier League since.
Rashford was left out of matchday squads entirely against Manchester City, Bournemouth and Wolves – plus the Carabao Cup exit at Tottenham – then returned as an unused sub against Newcastle on December 30.
Tellingly, Amorim refused to bring the forward on despite United trailing 2-0 from the 19th minute.
It means the academy graduate’s only start since December 1 was away at Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League and he has played 118 minutes of football from a possible 720 under Amorim.
And his prolonged absence looks set to extend with Rashford missing training due to illness ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Anfield.
Now there is talk of a possible transfer exit away from Old Trafford, especially after Rashford admitted he was open to a “new challenge”.
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But according to The Athletic, there is a specific reason behind Amorim’s sudden change of tune.
It is claimed in the aftermath of the win over Everton, Amorim was told Rashford had been on a night out in Manchester on Friday, November 29 – less than 48 hours before the Toffees clash on Sunday, December 1.
The new manager has a strict rule on players not going out to bars so close to matches.
When he spoke to Rashford about the matter, the £325,000-a-week star reportedly denied the suggestions and told his gaffer he had been misinformed.
Nonetheless, Amorim dropped Rashford.
Then two weeks later, Rashford was said to be slacking in United’s final training session before the Manchester derby on December 15 – with again claims he had been out on the Friday before a Sunday match.
Again, Rashford’s representatives strenuously rebuffed the reports and there is a feeling within his camp that the England man and local hero gets extra scrutiny on his social life than team-mates.
A year ago, Rashford phoned in sick for training on a Friday – two days before facing Newport in the FA Cup – and it transpired he had been on a bender in Belfast.
On the Monday after the cup clash, for which Rashford was axed, Sir Dave Brailsford addressed the United squad in a pre-arranged meeting – but then spoke privately with Rashford for 90 minutes.
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.
The attacker also angered Erik ten Hag in December 2022 by oversleeping and arriving late to a team meeting, prompting him to be dropped to the bench.
Then in November 2023, Ten Hag slammed Rashford’s decision to go out partying for his birthday after a 3-0 hammering by rivals City as “unacceptable”.
The 2024-25 season started off badly for the 60-cap international with two of his best mates at the club, Jadon Sancho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, both leaving.
He has chipped in with four Prem goals and an assist and has improved his running stats – now averaging 10.2km and 21.33 sprints per 90 minutes of action.
His Europa League goal and two in the Carabao Cup take his overall United tally to 138 – 15th on the all-time list and now just seven behind Cristiano Ronaldo in joint 13th.
Whether he adds many to that list, though, remains to be seen.
Only clubs in Saudi Arabia would realistically be able to match his mammoth wages – but he has turned down three bumper offers already.
SunSport revealed a swap deal with Victor Osimhen of Napoli is being discussed after Juventus declined the option to strike a deal.
The MLS remains another possible exit route should he fail to win over his new manager and regain his starting spot following his recent exile.
Amorim’s current stance to sideline Rashford has been given the support of the boardroom hierarchy.
The ex-Sporting chief, though, insists the ball is in the player’s court to get himself back into contention and reignite his United career – but only if he is willing to prove he is up for the challenge.
Amorim said: “It depends more on him than me.
“He has to want it really, really bad.
“He’s here. He’s ready to play if I decide.”
