Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim believes that Marcus Rashford should have spoken to him before giving an interview in which he said he was ready to leave Old Trafford.
United's troubled season is showing no sign of slowing down, with academy graduate and Manchester-born Rashford revealing his desire to seek a transfer away from his boyhood club.
After having replaced Erik ten Hag, new boss Amorim might have hoped for a smooth transition from Portugal to the Premier League, but he has instead been forced to deal with numerous issues - both on and off the pitch.
Ahead of his side's clash against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup quarter-final, the Red Devils boss aired his frustration at Rashford's comments, saying: ""If this was me probably I would speak with the manager [before doing an interview], but, guys, let's focus on Tottenham.
"If I give a lot of importance to it, it will have big headlines in the papers and if I say it's not a problem, then my standards are getting low."
Amorim is likely frustrated that Rashford's comments have taken attention away from United's victory against Manchester City last Sunday, with the buildup to United's game against Spurs now dominated by talk about the winger.
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Amorim still recognises Rashford's quality
The winger still possesses frightening pace and is able to produce venomous shots from difficult angles when at his best, and he was trusted by the likes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to lead the team's attack in previous seasons.
It should be noted that the current United boss also went to great lengths to praise Rashford and his talent, hailing the 27-year-old's innate ability.
Amorim told reporters: "This kind of club needs big talent and he's a big talent, so he just needs to perform at the highest level and that's my focus.
"What I want is to take the best stuff of Marcus Rashford as the player so I don't talk about the future, I just talk about the present. I want the best of each one of them and that's the key point for me. I just want to win and to help the team be better."
To his credit, Amorim has already helped the likes of Amad Diallo and Manuel Ugarte showcase their best level, so perhaps he will be able to do the same with Rashford.
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Is the situation recoverable?
Though there have been legitimate complaints about Rashford's defensive application, it is also equally fair to say that there are few players in the Premier League capable of producing performances as good as Rashford did when he was playing at his highest level.
The forward scored 30 goals and registered nine assists for the club in 2022-23, including netting 17 times in the Premier League.
While Amorim acknowledged Rashford's quality in the past, he insisted that the present is far more important, saying: "We're better with Marcus Rashford, that's simple, and we'll try different things to push Marcus to the best levels he showed in the past.
"What I'm saying is that the team is more important than the individual. We will assess it at the right time, that's all."
Amorim left Rashford out of the squad to face Tottenham, and with the January transfer window fast approaching, it is difficult to see a reconciliation between the parties before next month.
Lewis Nolan
