At this stage, it would probably be more of a surprise if Marcus Rashford was ushered back into Manchester United’s squad than if his current exclusion continued for another game, and possibly longer.
His team are struggling for points, four places above the Premier League’s relegation zone. Should they lose to Newcastle United at Old Trafford on Monday, that will be six defeats in December and the first time they have lost four in a row since 1961.
Who, though, can confidently predict that Ruben Amorim will bring Rashford back into a side that has scored fewer goals this season than 18th-placed Leicester City?
It feels unlikely given that Amorim’s recent selections have made it abundantly clear he does not like what he sees, or hears, when it comes to one of the club’s highest-paid players. Rashford has been omitted from the past four squads and, when a player is frozen out that way, the lesson of history is that the story rarely gets a happy ending.
Roberto Mancini did make up with Carlos Tevez (or, at least, was willing to tolerate him) after their relationship at Manchester City appeared to have disintegrated. Pep Guardiola did the same with Yaya Toure and, in both cases, it ended with the players coming in from the cold to help City win a league championship.
Tevez could even make light of the fact he had spent four months in exile because of the dispute that started with Mancini accusing him of refusing to come on, as a substitute, during a Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.
The Argentinian disappeared to Buenos Aires for much of that time and was photographed on a golf course, leading to questions about whether he cared more about his golf handicap than playing for his club. So when he scored a hat-trick in one of his comeback matches, a 6-1 win at Norwich City, he made a point of celebrating with a golf-swing.
Tevez celebrates with a golf swing after completing his hat-trick (Photo: Sean Dempsey/PA Images via Getty Images)
Perhaps it is an unfair comparison in some respects given that Tevez’s dispute with City involved lawyers, some ugly public outbursts and open hostility rather than the same kind of issues that have led to Rashford’s removal from Amorim’s team — his attitude and lifestyle, in short, and the growing suspicion that a player with 60 England caps has badly blurred his priorities.
The point here, however, is that it can be difficult to recall many occasions when something similar has happened with one of the Premier League’s A-listers and that player’s relationship with his manager has survived.
In theory it should not be too hard, you might assume, for a manager and player to talk it out and agree that, whatever their differences, they can still be good for one another. In practice, however, it seldom happens that way.
So how does Rashford feel about United’s manager leaving him out of the squad for their games against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth and Wolves? Is he angry? Does he feel unfairly singled out? Or does he accept, deep down, that he has been pushing his luck for some time and, if he is really honest, that he has brought these problems upon himself?
All that can really be said for certain is that Rashford seems keen to leave Old Trafford for another club and we know that because he, and his PR entourage, have made sure to get it out. Nor is it the first time he has given serious consideration to leaving in the past few years.
Rashford has spoken of seeking a new challenge but that is maybe easier said than done (Photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
United, in turn, would be open to selling him bearing in mind the growing evidence that Rashford, at 27, is no longer the player that everyone at Old Trafford expected, and wanted, him to be.
But a transfer is never going to be straightforward because of the numbers involved and, unfortunately for Rashford, potential buyers could be excused for having a few misgivings when the player in question is earning in excess of £325,000 a week ($413,000) and has been out of form for longer than he would probably wish to remember.
So the other option is that manager and player reach some sort of understanding and agree to put the past few weeks behind them. And that is clearly not straightforward either if you consider that, even when Jose Mourinho’s relationship with Paul Pogba was at its most strained, he never left him out of the entire squad for one match, never mind four in a row.
Harry Maguire has shown it is possible to return to United’s starting XI after being frozen out, removed as captain and made available for transfer during Erik ten Hag’s time as manager.
That, however, was a different set of circumstances given that Maguire’s absence was based on football reasons rather than, as it is with Rashford, it being about what is happening off the pitch as well as on it.
United fans may point out that Sir Alex Ferguson’s relationship with Wayne Rooney survived the player handing in a transfer request in 2010 and contemplating what would have been a treacherous cross-city switch to Manchester City.
The better comparison, perhaps, is what happened in the last few weeks of Ferguson’s reign, late in the 2012-13 season, when Rooney was removed from the team because the manager did not like the way he was living his life. The two men could barely make eye contact as they lined up to shake hands after Ferguson’s farewell match at Old Trafford and the presentation of the Premier League trophy.
Ferguson was planning Rooney’s departure (Photo: ANDREW YATES/AFP via Getty Images)
The story at the time was that Ferguson had told his replacement, David Moyes, he had teed up Rooney’s departure as a leaving present. Chelsea wanted to sign the England striker. But Moyes had other ideas — as did Ed Woodward in his first summer as United’s chief executive — and sorted it out in a frank discussion with Rooney.
“Do you still think you’re a top player?” Moyes asked. Rooney replied that, yes, of course he did. “So, if you are a top player, why are Chelsea offering only £25million for you?” Moyes wanted to know. Rooney knuckled down and was United’s best player for the first half of the following season.
Perhaps Rashford could benefit from that kind of tete-a-tete and, if it has the same kind of impact, maybe it would help Amorim, too. Let’s not forget we are talking about a player who, with 138 goals, is 15th in United’s all-time list of scorers, ahead of Andy Cole, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Eric Cantona and various others who are considered to be United royalty.
Go back through the years, however, and there is a clear pattern that the exile of a high-profile player is usually a manager signalling those at the top that it is time to cut them free.
Perhaps you recall Mikel Arteta doing something similar with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to set in motion his departure from Arsenal at a time when many fans considered him their best striker.
Guardiola did the same with Joao Cancelo because of issues behind the scenes at City. Mancini gave up, in the end, on Mario Balotelli and, as happened with Rooney, sometimes it needs the manager to leave for a player to stay.
Every Newcastle fan of a certain generation remembers Ruud Gullit’s infamous spell as manager and the mutiny that was caused by him dropping Alan Shearer, the local hero, for a derby defeat against Sunderland, early in the 1999-2000 season.
The more relevant example, however, is Rob Lee, who was considered to be a Shearer ally, ostracised from Gullit’s team and made to train with the reserves. Lee, an England international, was not even given a squad number. But it was Gullit who lost the civil war and ended up resigning. Lee was brought back into the team by Bobby Robson and would later receive a testimonial season to mark his service to the club.
And Rashford? The saddest thing, perhaps, is that there was a time when it was easy to imagine he, a former academy player who has been at the club since the age of seven, would be awarded a testimonial of his own one day.
Maybe that can still be the case. It just doesn’t feel likely at the moment and, if he is left out again, we can probably conclude that Amorim is not willing to make exceptions just because of a player’s long association with the club.
(Top photo: Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
The recent clash between Marcus Rashford and Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has once again highlighted the difficult dynamics at play in high-pressure environments like professional football clubs. In this case, the stand-off between Rashford and Rangnick has raised questions about player power, management styles, and the delicate balance between individual talent and team success.
While the details of the specific incident between Rashford and Rangnick remain unclear, it is not uncommon for situations like this to arise in competitive sports environments. Players, coaches, and management all have their own perspectives, agendas, and egos, which can sometimes clash and lead to tensions that are difficult to resolve.
In cases like this, it is rare for true reconciliation to occur. Even if the parties involved are able to move past the immediate conflict, the underlying issues that led to the stand-off often remain unresolved. This can create a lingering sense of mistrust and resentment that can have a negative impact on team morale, performance, and ultimately, results on the pitch.
However, it is not impossible for stand-offs like this to be resolved in a constructive and positive manner. Communication, empathy, and a willingness to listen and compromise are key ingredients in any successful reconciliation process. Both parties must be willing to put aside their differences, acknowledge their own role in the conflict, and work together towards a common goal of team success.
In the case of Rashford and Rangnick, only time will tell if true reconciliation is possible. But one thing is for certain – stand-offs like this rarely end well for all parties involved. It is up to the individuals and the club to navigate these difficult situations with maturity, professionalism, and a commitment to finding common ground.
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