Marcus Rashford's tenure at Manchester United appears to be on the brink, though not due to a lack of love for the club. The 27-year-old footballer sent shockwaves through Old Trafford on Tuesday when he expressed his desire for "a new challenge", leaving the door open for a shock January exit.
This revelation follows his unexpected omission from the squad by Ruben Amorim for Sunday's derby win over Manchester City. Rashford has been at United since he was was seven, and while his sudden desire to leave has come as a surprise to many, it isn't necessarily an indication of a lack of dedication to the Red Devils.
His emotional response to United's FA Cup final victory in May serves as evidence. Following the match, Rashford shared a tearful photo of himself applauding fans during the post-match celebrations at Wembley, captioned: "People want to know what Man United means to me!"
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The post underscores his deep-rooted love for his boyhood club and suggests that any forthcoming exit would not stem from a lack of enthusiasm or drive to propel United back to prominence. On Monday, Rashford was sent home from training and spent much of Tuesday visiting his former primary school, Button Lane, distributing Christmas gifts.
During this visit, he confided in journalist Henry Winter: "For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps. When I leave it's going to be 'no hard feelings'. You're not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United.
"That's me as a person. If I know that a situation is already bad I'm not going to make it worse. I've seen how other players have left in the past and I don't want to be that person. When I leave I'll make a statement and it will be from me."
When asked if he would 'always be a red', he replied: "Yes! 100 per cent. 100 per cent."
Responding to Rashford's remarks about seeking a 'new challenge', Amorim expressed his desire for the forward to remain with the team. He said: "We have here a new challenge, it's a tough one, for me it's the biggest challenge in football because we are in a difficult situation and I already said this is one of the biggest clubs in the world."
He added: "This is a really new challenge and the biggest one. I really hope all my players are ready for this new challenge. I've had not spoken to [Rashford] yet. Yesterday was a day off for the lads. He's our player and ready for the next game.
"I spoke with a lot of players individually during training sessions. What I want is to take the best Marcus Rashford 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 is the key point for me, I just want to win and to help the team be better.
"We are better with Marcus Rashford, that is simple and we will try different things to push Marcus to the best levels he showed in the past. And that's all. "Of course [I want him to stay], because 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 is my focus. I just want to help Marcus."
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Amorim suggested that Rashford's remarks were motivated by "selfishness," but acknowledged such feelings from players keen to secure their spot in the starting line-up every week were to be expected. "I was a player, we are a bit selfish, and they are focused on winning their place in the team," he said.
"It's the same situation as with all the others, if they train well then I have to make a choice and we will see. Of course I expect the best of each players every day."
Rashford's form has been inconsistent for nearly 18 months, with a tally of just 15 goals in 67 matches since the conclusion of the 2022/23 season, a season where he scored 30 times. That said, he's currently United's second-highest scorer this season with seven across all competitions, on par with Rasmus Hojlund and one behind Alejandro Garnacho - who was also omitted from the squad last weekend.
Rashford, who has over three years left on his £315,000 weekly contract, may not be easy to offload from United's roster. It is believed that the club are open to offers in the region of £40million for the player, but it remains uncertain if potential suitors can meet his wage expectations.
Since making his debut in United's first team during the 2015/16 season, Rashford has netted 138 goals in 426 appearances for the club. His trophy haul includes two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League title.
