Ruben Amorim responds when asked if Marcus Rashford will be involved in Manchester United's clash against Southampton
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has refused to be drawn into the uncertainty surrounding Marcus Rashford’s transfer saga at Old Trafford. The Portuguese gaffer insisted that his focus is to win their upcoming Premier League game against Southampton (January 16).
Marcus Rashford has seen himself falling down the pecking order as it’s now over a month since he played for the Red Devils. The England forward last played for United against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on December 12.
Since then, he has only been named in one of Manchester United’s last seven matchday squads, where he was an unused substitute in their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United.
Speaking ahead of United’s league match with Southampton, Ruben Amorim sidestepped the query about Rashford’s future. He told Sky Sports:
"I just want to win tomorrow. My focus is to win tomorrow. I will choose the players I think are best to win the game tomorrow. So, I’m just focused on that."
Apart from being excluded from United's matchday squads, Rashford’s dip in form has persisted under Amorim. In the ongoing season, the 27-year-old has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 24 appearances across competitions.
Will Marcus Rashford leave Manchester United in the January transfer window? Reliable journalist provides update
Marcus Rashford’s potential departure from Manchester United has taken the football world by storm in the past couple of days. The England international has found himself on the fringes of the first team at Old Trafford in the past few weeks and has been linked with a move to Serie A giants AC Milan.
While Rashford stated in a recent interview that he is open to a move away from United, there are no recent suggestions that his departure is close to being finalized.
Amidst the uncertainty surrounding the future of the 27-year-old, the Daily Mail's Mike Keegan has provided an update on his potential exit from Manchester United. Keegan reckons that the transfer saga could ''run deep'' into the transfer window and also claimed that Rashford’s wages of £350,000 could stand in the way of his exit. Speaking on GiveMeSport’s Market Madness podcast, Mike Keegan said:
“The latest I’m told is that, and obviously, the disclaimer is that these things can change pretty quickly, but expect this one to run deep into the transfer window. It won’t surprise anyone to know that the wages are a stumbling block. You know, we’re talking around £350,000 a week and it’s quite a complex situation."
“So, United obviously don’t want him to go to another club in England at this stage, because they are wary of the optics of how that would look if he was to go there and do well. Jesse Lingard is fresh in the memory. He’s in South Korea now, but he went to West Ham, did well there and had people questioning the wisdom of United’s decision to allow him to go."
"So, there’s the geography, for want of a better word, and the logistics, I suppose, as to where United are comfortable with him going.”
