Marcus Rashford’s notorious trip to Belfast is still fresh in the memories of several of his Manchester United teammates, with the incident reportedly damaging his image in front of his colleagues.
The England player stirred some controversy in January when, just hours before an FA Cup match against Newport County, he called in sick to training. It then emerged that he had been out partying in Belfast.
Manager Erik ten Hag removed Rashford from the team after he was rumbled and fined £650,000.
Despite his swift reintegration into the team and his remarkable goal in Sunday’s 3-1 Manchester derby loss, it was reported last week that Rashford and Ten Hag were barely communicating.
The event seems to have affected him not only in the dressing room but also in his relationship with his management.
The Daily Mail claims that some of Rashford’s teammates are still disappointed in him for his actions, especially his attempt to argue that his nightclub visit occurred before a planned day off when, in reality, it occurred just hours before training, 24 hours later.
With 392 Red Devil appearances under his belt, Rashford is one of the team’s most seasoned players and a local boy. He is a not a young player anymore and he should be setting an example for other young players in the team to follow.
Rashford’s off-field antics have put him in the public eye for the wrong reasons for the second time this season. When the Red Devils lost 3-0 in front of their own supporters at the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, he went out to celebrate his birthday by going out partying.
Rashford needs to show more responsibility on and off the pitch.