Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has urged Marcus Rashford to fight for his future at Old Trafford.
The forward said in an interview to journalist Henry Winter on Wednesday that he was prepared to leave United and “begin a new challenge” after 20 years at the club.
It came after Rashford was left out of the squad for Sunday’s derby at Manchester City, along with winger Alejandro Garnacho, with Amorim later explaining that he had not been impressed with standards on and off the pitch.
While the manager also said both players would be offered a “new life” ahead of Thursday night’s game at Tottenham Hotspur, Rashford’s comments suggest that the 27-year-old believes he is heading towards a January exit.
Rashford is under contract at United until the summer of 2028 and his deal, signed following his 30-goal season in 2022-23, is worth £325,000 a week. He has struggled for form over the last 18 months, losing his place in the England squad, but Amorim said he is still a “big talent”.
Amorim said he had not spoken to Rashford since his comments but he told the forward to find his “new challenge” at United and says the club are “better” with him in the team.
“He is right. We have here a new challenge, the biggest in football,” Amorim said when asked to respond to Rashford’s comments. “We are in a difficult situation. I hope all my players are ready.”
“He’s our player and he’s ready for the next game,” Amorim said. “I spoke with a lot of players individually and during trainings.
“What I want is to take the best of Marcus Rashford and the other players. I don’t talk about the future. I talk about the present.
“I want to best of each of them. I just want to win and help the team to be better. We are better with Marcus Rashford, that’s simple and we try our best to push Marcus Rashford to the level he is at before.”
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