Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has labelled the comments of Ruben Amorim with regards to Marcus Rashford’s place in the team as an embarrassment to the player.
Rashford has not featured for United since December 12, after Amorim left him out of the squad for every game since one which he was an unused substitute.
Asked why he did not include Rashford in the 1-0 victory at Fulham on Sunday, Amorim compared his efforts in training to that of the club’s 63-year-old goalkeeping coach, Jorge Vital.
“The reason is the training, what I think a footballer should do in training, in life and every day… I will put (in) Vital before I put (in) a player who doesn’t give the maximum every day,” said Amorim, in a heavy remark concerning the situation.
Ferdinand, who lifted six Premier League titles and the Champions League during his enviable 12-year career at Old Trafford, said he would be embarrassed by such statement.
“If I was that player that the manager said that about… embarrassment,” he stated on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
“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.
“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.”
In December, Rashford had revealed he was “ready for a new challenge” but he is now in a tight spot with one week of the January transfer window to go.
Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan are among the European heavyweights who have been linked with a move for the England international, who has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances for United.
But a potential move is complicated by Rashford’s reported £300,000-a-week salary on a deal which expires in 2028.
