Stretty News
·28 January 2025
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Yahoo sportsStretty News
·28 January 2025
Rio Ferdinand weighs in on the unpleasant debacle at Manchester United involving head coach Ruben Amorim and outcasted star Marcus Rashford.
The 27-year-old hasn’t stepped foot on the pitch since mid-December when he was shockingly omitted from the matchday squad ahead of the Manchester Derby. Since then, Rashford’s absence is no longer news, as it’s been the case in United’s last 11 fixtures across all competitions.
However, this soap opera took an interesting turn on Sunday night when Amorim was answering the journalists’ questions in his post-match press conference following his team’s slim victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The 39-year-old bluntly insisted the striker won’t be back to the fold as he continues to disappoint with his lack of effort in training. The Portuguese went on to name his 63-year-old goalkeeper’ coach Jorge Vital as one man he’d play ahead of Rashford.
For his part, Ferdinand felt embarrassed for his countryman. The Man Utd legend explains how he would never have accepted anyone questioning his desire and character back in his playing days.
“If I was that player that the manager said that about, my heart, my pride, my ego – embarrassment,” said the retired defender on his podcast ‘Rio Ferdinand Presents’ (via The Sun).
“For someone to question your application, to question (whether) you’re going out there and giving 100 per cent for your team, (suggesting) that you’re going to slack off and you’re taking shortcuts…
“We all have days off or moments when we’re not performing well, lacking confidence, but effort isn’t really one of the things I would want to be hearing a manager say is lacking in my makeup.”
Ruben Amorim has to wield the axe with his disjoined Manchester United squad. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Therefore, Ferdinand believes Amorim can no longer take a step back and bring Rashford back to the fold, as it would weaken his stance in the dressing room and suggest other players could also go away with sich demeanour.
“That’s a damning comment, because I think he knows what the reaction is after that comment. He’s not saying that without thinking, ‘Where does this go after?’ There’s really no way back for Marcus after that, I don’t think, with that type of comment.
“You’re looking at it and going, ‘He (Amorim, who took charge in November) has only been there a short bit of time and he’s actually straight away gone, he’s pulled out the nine-millimetre revolver and just gone bang’. There’s no way back from that.
“If he comes back, that means other players can now take their foot off the gas and still have a way back into the team.”