Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been urged to talk to Marcus Rashford and discover the reasons for his recent off-field activities.
Rashford under scrutiny at UnitedSpotted in Belfast nightclubTen Hag urged to take actionWHAT HAPPENED?
Rashford has been in the spotlight after being spotted out in Belfast, where he reportedly indulged in a 12-hour tequila bender and subsequently missed training due to illness. Manchester United have since said Rashford has "taken responsibility" for his actions and he was back in the starting XI last time out, scoring in the Premier League win over West Ham. Yet former Red Devils striker Dwight Yorke believes Ten Hag needs to do more to prevent Rashford from "going off the rails" again.
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He told: "I feel that Marcus Rashford is the best player at Manchester United Football Club. You can’t have your best player going off the rails like that, that doesn’t happen. There is a reason behind it. I think it’s the manager’s duty to find out what the reason is, to have that one-on-one conversation as to why his star man is doing what he’s doing.
"There is more to it, there might be more to it than we know. Yes, the media speculates and he was in Belfast doing what he was doing, doing what he wasn’t supposed to have done. I don’t condone that for a minute, no way.
"But there must be a route to it somewhere that you need to get the bottom of. If I was Ten Hag I would drive to his house and have a one-on-one conversation with him in front of his mum or his agent, I’d have all these conversations. I would drive to his house because I know how important he is to my success, to Manchester United’s success. He is a key figure."
GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Rashford has come in for criticism for his recent trip to Belfast, and Manchester United have been warned by former striker Dimitar Berbatov they must take action to avoid a repeat incident. Rashford had previously been fined and dropped to the bench after oversleeping and missing training back in 2022. However, he went on to finish the season with 30 goals and signed a new five-year contract at Old Trafford, making him United's highest-paid player.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD
Rashford has been linked with a move to PSG in the wake of his nightclub visit, with the Ligue 1 side potentially in the market for a new striker in the summer if Kylian Mbappe departs for Real Madrid. In the meantime, United will want more goals from Rashford, starting on Sunday against Aston Villa in the Premier League.