Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Marcus Rashford is eager to regain his place in the Manchester United squad, despite being left out of the matchday team for the last three games due to poor training form. Last week, Rashford expressed a desire for a "new challenge", sparking rumours of a potential January transfer.
Since Rashford's interview on December 17, United have suffered two losses, and the 27-year-old has been participating in team training sessions at Carrington. The United management will not interfere with Amorim's handling of Rashford, who is reportedly upset that United made his availability known to other clubs without informing him.
However, United maintain they have not had any specific discussions about Rashford with potential buyers, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Amorim criticised Rashford's advisers for arranging an interview with journalist Henry Winter just two days after he was dropped from the squad for the Manchester derby, but admitted he has avoided discussing the issue with Rashford directly.
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"Yeah, it's my decision. He wants to play, he's trying," said Amorim. "It's my decision. Only my decision. I spoke with a lot of players individually, during trainings, so I try to do things and I am doing things my way and is the only way I know. If I don't do that, I will lose myself, and I will not lose myself, I know what I am doing.
"When I feel that is the right moment, I will change something. Until then, I will continue to think what is best for the team. I speak with him every day, not about the interview, about the performance."
Amorim stated that the situation with Rashford does not affect the team's performance, saying: "No, I don't think so. Not for me. Not for the other players. Because everybody is there every day during training, so they understand, and that is the key point.
"For the media and for the other people, I cannot control that, but I am really focused and they know. I am so clear in my message, everybody in Carrington knows what I'm talking about and what I want from Marcus and everybody else, so it's not a distraction for us."
Amorim reiterated that the decision to bench Rashford against Manchester City last month was based on his form in training, performance, and attitude during matches and with team-mates.
"Like any other player, the best that they can be," he said in response to a query about his plans for Rashford. "If you have big talent: big performance, big responsibility, big engagement, like push forward everybody in this moment. And some guys have a big responsibility here because they are here for a long time.
"So this is maybe one of the lowest moments in our club, so we have to face it and be strong in this moment, that's what I want for every player on the team."
