- Marcus Rashford was again absent from the United squad at Craven Cottage
- Ruben Amorim declared he would pick his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Why the Arsenal players will be laughing at Mikel Arteta behind his back
Marcus Rashford issued a brief message after sitting out Manchester United’s win at Fulham, where Ruben Amorim made incendiary remarks on the forward.
Lisandro Martinez’s strike secured a 1-0 victory for Amorim’s side on a night when strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee again failed to make an impact, raising questions over whether Rashford could earn a shock recall if he does not leave.
But Amorim instead aimed an astonishing dig at the 27-year-old, declaring he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital.
Rashford has not appeared for the last 11 games and has not yet secured a loan move away from Old Trafford despite holding talks with several clubs.
The last time the attacker pulled on a United jersey was during the Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen on December 12, and Rashford was promptly dropped entirely for the Manchester derby over his attitude during training.
Amorim also confirmed that is still the reason behind Rashford’s absence, but his uncertain future has not deterred him from continuing to support his boyhood club.
Marcus Rashford issued a brief message after Manchester United’s win over Fulham
Ruben Amorim again failed to pick the outcast forward for the 11th game in a row
Rashford congratulated his team-mates on their slender 1-0 victory at Craven Cottage
Taking to Instagram after the win at Craven Cottage moved them four points behind the top half of the table, Rashford wrote: ‘Congratulations on the win, lads.’
Rashford revealed during a bombshell interview in December that he was ‘ready for a new challenge’ – and Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund are among those keen.
Amorim does not know whether the forward will leave this month and Mail Sport understands that his £315,000-a-week wage packet is proving a stumbling block.
Asked last night why the player was not available, Amorim said: ‘It’s always the same reason – the training, the way I see a footballer should do in life.
‘It’s every day, every detail.
‘If things don’t change, I will not change. It’s the same situation for every player, if you do the maximum and right things we can use every player.
‘You can see on the bench we miss a bit of pace on the bench, but I would put Vital before a player who doesn’t give the maximum every day.’
Asked if the situation will change if Rashford is still at United after deadline day next week, Amorim added: ‘It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player.’
Lisandro Martinez’s strike was enough on a night in which both of United’s strikers struggled
Amorim said he would rather pick his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital over Rashford
Rashford has held talks with several clubs over a loan move but nothing has materialised
Sources close to Rashford have stressed that he has not issues with Amorim and is open to playing for the club again. He has also taken on extra training sessions.
United have struggled for goals this season with both Hojlund and Zirkzee mustering up just one goal between them since the start of December.
Hojlund started at Craven Cottage but was hooked after 58 minutes before attracting more criticism over his display, while Zirkzee didn’t record a shot on goal.
