Ruben Amorim offers lifeline to Manchester United star ahead of transfer deadline
'It's not personal.'
Ruben Amorim appears to have offered a lifeline to Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford ahead of the transfer deadline.
Rashford has been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford in January after being frozen out by Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November.
England international Rashford has not featured for his boyhood club since December 12 and has once again been left out of United’s squad for their Europa League clash against Steaua Bucuresti on Thursday evening.
Clearly something needs to change and Rashford has been linked with the likes of Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Tottenham in recent weeks.
Speaking after United beat Fulham 1-0 on Sunday, Amorim said he would sooner play his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach than any player who is not meeting his expectations in training.
The comments were seen as a huge swipe at Rashford but the ex-Sporting Lisbon boss insists his message was directed at his entire squad.
Amorim also said Manchester United were a ‘better team’ with Rashford, hinting the 27-year-old may yet have a future at the club.
‘The situation is the same for every player,’ Amorim said at his pre-match press conference.
‘My sentence was that I wouldn’t put any player that doesn’t give the maximum. I didn’t say only Marcus Rashford.
‘We are a better team with him, that’s clear, but until the right moment I won’t change my mind.
‘If Rashford will change we are more than happy to have Rashford. But we have to set standards. It’s not personal.
‘Imagine a talent like Rashford, our team should be so much better, but he has to change.
‘If he changes, we will use a talent like Rashford, but in this moment we have to set some standards.’
While Amorim may have offered an olive branch to Rashford, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand fears there is ‘no way back’ for the talented forward.
‘If I was the player the manager said that about, my heart, my pride, my ego – it’s embarrassment,’ said Ferdinand on his Rio Presents YouTube channel.
‘For someone to question your application, to question you giving 100 per cent for the team, saying you’re lacking effort and taking shortcuts, that’s a damning comment.
‘There’s no way back for Marcus after that. If he did come back that means other players can take their foot off the gas and have a way back into the team and take shortcuts.’
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