Marcus Rashford has been told he faces a huge battle to salvage his Manchester United career with Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy revealing two issues that have angered Ruben Amorim, though the Red Devils boss continues to offer the player hope ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Tottenham.
The Red Devils stole an incredible 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday with two late goals earning all three points and securing Amorim the best moment so far since his appointment as Manchester United manager. However, the build-up to the game – and celebrations since – have been tainted, or overshadowed somewhat by the controversy surrounding Rashford, who was excluded from the matchday squad alongside Alejandro Garnacho.
In the immediate aftermath of Rashford‘s omission, both Roy Keane and Gary Neville have had their say on the forward’s future and while the latter chose to congratulate the manager for taking a strong stand, the former believes it is the end of the road at Old Trafford for the 27-year-old.
Now Reddy has suggested Rashford has ‘run out of chances’ after leaving his new manager unimpressed by two failings.
“Sky Sports News first reported the 27-year-old was on a collision course with the INEOS leadership and their ‘clean culture’ approach in January after his third breach of former manager Erik ten Hag’s rules,” Reddy began on Sky Sports News.
“Ruben Amorim, the new man at the helm, has also been unimpressed with Rashford’s application at the training ground and his general demeanour, which led to his omission from the squad on Sunday for the Manchester derby.
“While Alejandro Garnacho also had to watch United’s victory at the Etihad from home for the same reason, he has not been a serial offender, nor has he been considered a senior member of the team who should be setting an example. While Amorim has made it clear no dip in effort will be tolerated, the feeling is that the 20-year-old hasn’t run out of chances like Rashford, whom the club have been open to offers for since January.”
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Amorim offers hope to Rashford with a Thursday selection hint
TEAMtalk has revealed for months that United have been open to offers for Rashford ever since INEOS walked through the door at Old Trafford and in the aftermath of Sunday’s exclusion, sources confirmed to us once again that they would be open to his sale in the January window.
Quite how much they will fetch for the player remains to be seen. The Dailly Mail reports his asking price has slumped to as little as £40m, though Caught Offside claims they have a £60m valuation for a player who still has plenty of admirers across Europe.
Where he goes to next, however, remains a big question mark and we have explained the extreme difficulties United face in trying to offload Rashford in the winter window.
That’s an assessment former TEAMtalk employee Reddy agrees, as she added: “The issue then, in the summer, and as it stands now, is the attacker has no suitors due to his off-pitch behaviour, form, and mega salary.”
United return to action on Thursday in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals when they travel to face Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
And despite all the speculation surrounding Rashford’s future, Amorim is adamant all is not lost for the 27-year-old, or fellow forward Garnacho.
“Next week, next game, new life,” the United boss stated.
“For me it’s important; the performance in training, the performance in games, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with your teammates, the way you push your teammates.
“Everything is important. In our context, in the beginning of something, when we want to change a lot of things, when people in our clubs are losing their jobs, we have to make the standards really high.
“Today the team proved we can leave anyone out of the squad and manage to win if you play together.”
Rashford’s next move: PSG or Saudi?
Our reporter Ben Jacobs has also provided us with an update on the potential next clubs for Rashford.
And while interest from the likes of PSG has been reported, Jacobs provided this update on Monday.
‘PSG sources have played down the idea that they are actively pursuing a move for Rashford and the French giants’ representatives haven’t made contact with his entourage recently,’ he wrote, exclusively for TEAMtalk.
‘The Ligue 1 leaders did hold talks on at least two occasions with the Rashford camp, both before and after he signed a new deal at Old Trafford in July 2023. Both times, the French champions felt their name was being used as leverage and there are no plans to advance anything unless Rashford tells PSG he wants to leave.
‘Luis Campos, PSG’s sports advisor, is aware of Rashford’s situation, but if a deal is to be done with PSG, president Nasser Al-Khelaifi would ultimately lead talks as he has a positive relationship with Rashford and his camp.’
Jacobs continued: ‘Meanwhile, Saudi Pro League sides Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ittihad have previously shown interest in Rashford, too, by alerting central dealmakers. However, Saudi officials believe Rashford will not consider a move to Saudi Arabia until 2026 at the earliest as he looks to stay at Manchester United or in Europe to give himself the best chance of England selection at the World Cup.’
Elsewhere, one man who did appear destined to leave, Harry Maguire, appears to be set for a remarkable U-turn after a big change of heart by Amorim, sources have revealed to us.
Rashford’s decline at Man Utd by numbers
Marcus Rashford Appearances 2022/23 56 Since 67 Goals 2022/23 30 Since 15 Assists 2022/23 9 Since 8
Rashford’s downfall over the past two years since his highest-scoring season for Man Utd