Marcus Rashford has admitted he wants to leave Manchester United after 20 years.
He joined the club at the age of seven and made his debut in 2016, but has endured a complicated period over the past 18 months.
There have been questions about his application, especially when he missed training last season after a 12-hour tequila bender in Belfast, while Gary Neville recently called him ‘unprofessional’ for going to the US in his spare time to watch a Watch an NBA game.
But there has never been much doubt about Rashford’s potential, with the Englishman scoring 30 goals in the 2022/23 season and collecting 60 caps for his country.
In a remarkably candid interview with Henry WinterThe 27-year-old admitted he wants a ‘new challenge’ and spoke of his departure as a ‘when’, not an ‘if’.
“For me personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps,” he said.
‘If I leave, it will be ‘no hard feelings’. You won’t get any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.
‘If I know a situation is already bad, I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen other players leave in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave, I will make a statement, and it will be mine.”
Winter asked if he would always remain a Red at heart. ‘Yes! 100%. 100%’, was the answer.
Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were recently left out of the Manchester derby by Ruben Amorim – a decision that ultimately paid off as the Red Devils won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Amorim emphasized that the pair had trained well and that there were no problems.
On being suspended, Rashford added: “It’s disheartening to be left out of a derby, but it happened, we won the game, so let’s move on.
‘It’s disappointing, but I’m also someone who, as I get older, can deal with setbacks. What am I going to do about it? Sit there and cry about it. Or do my best the next time I’m available.’
More to follow.