Ruben Amorim explains what Marcus Rashford must do to earn Man Utd recall

Steve Pearson 24 Dec 2024 3:37 PM

Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim and forward Marcus Rashford

Ruben Amorim has told Marcus Rashford what must be done to earn a recall, while the Manchester United manager also clarified who is behind the forward’s continued absence.

Rashford has not been included in any of Man Utd’s last three matchday squads. His initial exclusion came at the same time as Alejandro Garnacho’s own omittance against Manchester City. However, Garnacho has since returned to the fold, coming off the bench in each of United’s last two matches.

Amorim pointed to the pair’s attitude and application in training when explaining his reasoning behind the snubs. But while Garnacho has seemingly kept quiet and knuckled down, Rashford surprisingly declared it’s time for a fresh challenge when speaking out in an interview with journalist Henry Winter.

Both The Daily Mail and The Times insisted the decision to leave Rashford out is Amorim’s and no one else’s. The reports also stressed the club’s hierarchy – Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox – won’t interfere in the situation.

As such, the leadership will neither pressure Amorim to recall Rashford and nor will they pressure the manager to continue leaving him out. The obvious downside of continuing to snub the player is Rashford’s transfer value may be negatively affected.

Given Man Utd are open to a sale and desperate to generate as much as they can to help fund a rebuild, it is a situation that is far from ideal.

And speaking in a press conference on Christmas Eve, Amorim explained what Rashford must do to earn a recall for the Boxing Day clash with Wolves and take a step towards putting the saga to bed.

“Like any other player, the best that they can be,” Amorim replied when asked what he wanted from Rashford. “If you have big talent: big performance, big responsibility, big engagement, like push forward everybody in this moment.

“And some guys have a big responsibility here because they are here for a long time. So this is maybe one of the lowest moments in our club, so we have to face it and be strong in this moment, that’s what I want for every player on the team.”

Amorim went on to clarify that he is the only figure behind Rashford’s absences from the matchday squads. The manager also noted Rashford is itching to play, though gave little away on the subject of whether Rashford will actually get that chance at Molineux.

“Yeah, it’s my decision. He (Rashford) wants to play, he’s trying,” continued Amorim. “It’s my decision. Only my decision.

“I spoke with a lot of players individually, during trainings, so I try to do things and I am doing things my way and is the only way I know. If I don’t do that, I will lose myself, and I will not lose myself, I know what I am doing.

“When I feel that is the right moment, I will change something. Until then, I will continue to think what is best for the team. I speak with him every day, not about the interview, about the performance.”

The Sun recently claimed Man Utd’s squad had reacted angrily to Rashford’s tell-all interview with Henry Winter.

The timing of the interview – in the aftermath of Man Utd securing a morale-boosting victory in the derby – was reported to be a particular point of contention.

Yet Amorim went on to insist the Rashford saga is not a distraction and is not negatively effecting the club’s displays. After United beat Man City they’ve suffered back-to-back defeats to Tottenham (League Cup) and Bournemouth.

“No, I don’t think so (not a distraction),” added Amorim. “Not for me. Not for the other players. Because everybody is there every day during training, so they understand, and that is the key point.

“For the media and for the other people, I cannot control that, but I am really focused and they know.

“I am so clear in my message, everybody in Carrington knows what I’m talking about and what I want from Marcus and everybody else, so it’s not a distraction for us. Maybe it is for the media but that is not my concern.”