Ruben Amorim has urged Marcus Rashford to ‘speak with the manager’ rather than publicly express dissatisfaction after the Manchester United forward hinted at a potential departure from Old Trafford.
Rashford, 27, was left out of United’s squad for Sunday’s 3-1 win at Manchester City. In response, he suggested in a social media interview that he was ready for a new challenge, raising speculation about his future.
The forward, who has been with the club since his youth days, has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances since debuting in 2016. However, he has struggled for form in recent months, managing only 15 goals in 67 appearances since signing a lucrative contract 18 months ago. Rashford was also notably omitted from England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Rashford, who missed training on Monday due to illness, is set to be unavailable for Thursday’s League Cup quarter-final against Tottenham. While Amorim is eager to retain the player, he acknowledged that he would have handled the situation differently when he was a player.
“If this was me, probably I would speak with the manager,” Amorim said in a press conference on Wednesday. “But, guys, let’s focus on Tottenham. Tottenham is the most important thing.”
Amorim revealed he had not yet spoken to Rashford following the interview that threw his future at United into uncertainty.
“It’s hard to explain to you guys what I am going to do,” Amorim continued.
Amorim’s press conference, which lasted 14 minutes, was dominated by questions regarding Rashford’s situation, signaling the intense media scrutiny he will face since replacing Erik ten Hag as United’s manager in November.
Amorim is determined to focus on the upcoming clash with Tottenham, despite the media frenzy surrounding his decision to drop Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for the Manchester derby. Unlike Rashford, Garnacho has reacted well to being excluded, with Amorim noting, “He trained really well. He seems a little bit upset with me and that is perfect. I’m really, really happy because I would do the same in his position and he’s ready for this game.”
