Ruben Amorim has questioned the “people around” Marcus Rashford, believing they had a role to play in an interview suggesting he could leave the club.
Rashford has been left out of the Manchester United squad for the past three matches, having been dropped for the derby win over Manchester City earlier this month.
Amorim has opted against recalling Rashford for matches against Tottenham and Bournemouth, suggesting it was just a “selection” decision but also hinting it was based on behaviour off the pitch, including interactions with team-mates.
Amorim said: “It is 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 team-mates.”
Ahead of the defeat to Spurs in the Carabao Cup, Rashford gave an interview and said he "ready for a new challenge and the next steps" in his career, raising the possibility of a January exit.
"It is a hard situation but I understand that this kind of player have a lot of people around them, and making some choices that sometimes is not the first idea from the player," United boss Amorim told Sky Sports on Monday.
"So I understand I can separate things. I'm always here for helping Marcus as another player and they have to do what they have to do.
"I say they chose to do that interview because it's not just Marcus. I understand that so for me as a coach I'm just focused on the performance, the way he trains.
"The rest, I think, is better for me and the club to deal with that when the times comes.
"At the moment I'm just focused on improving Marcus. We need a lot in this moment, (from a) talented guy like Marcus, and I forget for now the interview. I just see what I see on the pitch."