Man Utd issue Marcus Rashford statement after more details emerge over Belfast trip; status for Wolves revealed

Manchester United have stated that Marcus Rashford “has taken responsibility for his actions” after reports he was seen in nightspots in Northern Ireland on Wednesday and Thursday evening.

The England forward missed training at United on Friday after reporting ill and did not feature in Sunday’s 4-2 FA Cup fourth-round win over League Two Newport.

A United statement read: “This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed.”

Rashford is now back in training and will be available for United’s Premier League trip to Molineux to face Wolves on Thursday.

“He reported ill. The rest is an internal matter and I will deal with that,” said boss Erik ten Hag after Sunday’s win in south Wales.

Ten Hag, football director John Murtough and interim chief executive Patrick Stewart dealt with the issue. Rashford was at United‘s training ground on Monday with brother Dwaine, who is part of his representative team.

The 26-year-old was dropped from the starting line-up for their Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat by Newcastle in November as a disciplinary measure.

On that occasion, Ten Hag was unhappy at Rashford being seen out celebrating his birthday in one of Manchester’s most exclusive nightclubs just hours after being involved in a woeful 3-0 defeat by bitter rivals Manchester City.

Rashford was also put on the substitutes bench for United’s Premier League game at Wolves last season after oversleeping and being late for a team meeting. However, he ended up scoring the winner in that game.

After hitting a career-best 30 goals last season, Rashford has only notched four times this season and has looked a shadow of the player who was so lethal in 2022/23.

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Rashford behaviour ‘appalling’

And former Blackburn striker Chris Sutton has hit out at the United attacker.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club: “Rashford hasn’t helped himself.

“I think he’ll outlast Ten Hag but this can’t go on. Something has to give. He’s shown he has no respect for Ten Hag or his team-mates. I think it’s appalling.

“Everyone knows the line. This isn’t his first misdemeanour. Why does he keep poking Ten Hag like this?”

Leicester City defender Conor Coady, who played alongside Rashford on England duty, added: “Seeing him like this doesn’t fit, it doesn’t seem right to me. Something is there that we don’t know about.

“You see the stories coming out and wonder what’s going on? Something’s happening. To know him and realise how much of a top lad he is, you wonder is there something more to it.

“These things don’t get out at other football clubs, they only seem to get out at Manchester United. Whenever we read these things, they always seem to come out at Man Utd.”

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