Gary Neville has issued an apology to Ruben Amorim for his earlier criticism of Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United legend had slammed Rashford and teammate Casemiro for a jaunt to the US during an international break, lambasting their choice as "unprofessional".
On Sky Sports, Neville offered amends but stood firm on his views, saying: "I made a comment this week about Casemiro and Marcus Rashford travelling to America in their few days off. It was just me thinking as a Manchester United player when I played here."
He continued, acknowledging that timing and preparation are crucial: "You've got a few days off, the club are 13th in the league, the manager has just been sacked, it's a challenging part of the season and the new manager is about to come in."
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Despite his apology for misunderstanding their destination city, Neville remarked on the importance of focus and discipline: "And that focus and preparation and every single little detail is really important, and I said I don't think I'd have chosen that trip to go to America with the time difference."
Correcting his error concerning the location of their trip, he stated: "I did get it wrong - they went to New York rather than Portland so I apologise for that. But there's still a 5-6 hour time difference, they're on planes, Casemiro's 30 years of age."
Incoming manager Amorim has addressed Neville's initial comments, suggesting a balance of responsibility between players and club leaders.
When questioned about whether he would have handled the situation differently, the new United manager admitted: "Yes, for sure. But you cannot put this on the players. They were told they had five days off and could fly anywhere.
"No one at the club said they couldn't fly. They're grown men and need to make their own decisions. As a club, we need to raise our standards.
"In your era, there was strong leadership at the club, and the culture was already established when you started. It was a long time with the same identity, the same perspective, and even if you strayed from that, your teammates would pull you up."
"Now it's a different scenario, and we have to recognise that. This change needs to start within the club, with us. We are responsible in this area. We can't blame Rash or Casa. They were told they had five days off and could do as they pleased. As a club, we need to set higher standards, and we will strive to do that."
