“He want to play to it’s my decision” – Ruben Amorim takes bullish stance on controversial Man United star | OneFootball

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insisted he holds the last word in the Marcus Rashford soap opera.

The Portuguese has decided to omit the English striker from his matchday squad in the club’s last three outings against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur (in the Carabao Cup) and Bournemouth, reportedly due to the player’s uninspiring levels during matches and on the training ground.

For his part, the 27-year-old retaliated by expressing his willingness to embark on a new career chapter, so many believe that a January exit has become inevitable at this stage.

But in the meantime, some are hoping for a reconciliation that would bring Rashford back to the fold. Nevertheless, Amorim was hardly in a jolly mood on his Christmas Eve press conference – which is hardly a surprise given the club’s current status in the league standings. Therefore, the manager made sure to remind everyone, Rashford included, that he’s now the boss at Carrington.

“Yeah, it’s my decision,” said Amorim in his presser via Sky Sports. “He wants to play, he’s trying, but it’s my decision, only my decision.

“I spoke with a lot of players, individually and during training. I’m doing this my way and it’s the only way I know. If I don’t do that, I lose myself and I don’t want to lose myself. I know what I’m doing.”

Ruben Amorim tackles Marcus Rashford issue

Nevertheless, the manager admitted he doesn’t have a magical wand to simply fix all of the club’s problems, including the leaking ceiling in the press room!

“I understand that it’s a tough moment and it’s on me. Since the first day I arrived, it’s on me because I’m responsible for the team.

“We cannot think about that, we have to think about improving, to understand the context and not focus on what happened in the past. The present is this, what we have to do in the future is [not let this] happen again.

“If I knew, I would solve all the problems of the club, even this [points to the leak in the press conference room ceiling].

Finally, Amorim urged the United supporters for patience while promising them improvement with time.

“I cannot say better things about the fans,” he said. “What I’m trying to say to the fans is: we understand. I understand as a coach. I understand the moment, the frustration and the disappointment. I understand it.

“We will improve, it will take time. I said the same thing after we beat Everton and people were talking about the top four. So I know it’s going to be really tough but it’s important for us, in this side, to say to the supporters we understand, I understand.

“And they are incredible, the support that we have. We are having a season that we have not seen for [many] years and we know that. The only thing is to face it, prepare the next game like we won – if you can say that – and then go again and try to win a match.

“It’s just from us. They need our help, not the other way around. They are doing everything right.”