‘I’d rather play the GK coach': Marcus Rashford’s absence explained
Ruben Amorim left the Englishman out of the United squad again this weekend and gave an explosive postgame explanation.
Manchester United have managed to arrest a poor run of recent form with two narrow wins this week. They scored late to see off Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, before managing a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday.
It’s given head coach Ruben Amorim a bit of breathing room after a tough start to life at Old Trafford. But he’s still got plenty of issues to sort out before he can truly start to get the best out of this United team.
The fate of Marcus Rashford is still up in the air having not featured since early December. He was excluded from the squad for a fourth consecutive Premier League game on Sunday and Amorim was in no mood to save Rashford’s pride in the postgame press conference.
Why isn’t Marcus Rashford playing for Manchester United?
Speaking to reporters after the Fulham win, Amorim was asked why Rashford is not at least included in the matchday squad. He cited one key failing.
“The reason is the training, the way I see what footballers should do in training, in life. It’s every day, every detail. So if things don’t change, I will not change.”
"The reason is the training. If things don't change, I will not change."
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 26, 2025
Ruben Amorim explains Marcus Rashford's exclusion, saying he isn't giving his maximum in training ❌ pic.twitter.com/nTn7gZpw6G
Not content with that, Amorim told reporters that he would rather field United’s goalkeeping coach that give Rashford minutes at the moment: “I prefer it like that. I will put [Jorge] Vital on than a player that don’t give the maximum every day. So I will not change in that department.”
Rashford has been linked with a number of potential destinations as United look to offload the 27-year-old in January. The main sticking point is Rashford’s huge $390,000 weekly salary, making him one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League. If he is to leave during the January transfer window it could well be a loan move in which United are forced to pay a proportion of his salary.
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