Sky Sports Experts Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp have weighed in on the current situation with Marcus Rashford at Man Utd, after the striker was left out of Ruben Amorim's squad against Tottenham in the west -Thursday's Carabao Cup finals.
It was the second game in a row that the 27-year-old was not involved in, having been absent from Sunday's 2-1 Manchester derby win at the Etihad Stadium.
Rashford's exclusion from the team comes after Rashford admitted he was “ready for a new challenge” in an interview with journalist Henry Winter.
Neville, Carragher and Redknapp discussed the live situation Sky Sports Thursday night – here's what they said…
Neville: I suspect it's getting rather difficult behind the scenes
Gary Neville:
“Maybe it's the feeling over the last few months that has been trying to get me to think that this could be resolved and worked out because I don't think academy players should who has a great talent like Marcus Rashford to leave the club.
“It's one of those things where you want to see players who have been there since they were eight stay there forever. But, in the last few days, it has come to a point where it could end up being the best of both parties – and probably end up pretty quickly if it's going to go down this road.
“Who knows? It might resolve itself. Ruben Amorim is saying all the right things, but I suspect behind the scenes now it's getting very difficult.
“That's two times he hasn't been in the team now. He is one of Manchester United's main players and has been for many years. Actions speak louder than words. While Amorim says there is a future, he is also not in the team, so things are not going very well at all.
“It's sad because United had a fantastic win on Sunday and still get upset about the win because talking a few days later about this and not the fact that the win is interesting Ruben Amorim has under his belt.”
Carragher: Interview has put Man Utd in a bad negotiating position
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:
“I feel like I've been talking about Marcus Rashford in the last week, and I've said it before, he's not that good of a player for the time we're going to ' talk about it. There was Wayne Rooney, there was David Beckham, there was Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I'm not for any player coming out and criticizing the club, but for Rashford to do that, to come out without any knowledge of the club and just say that he has basically submitted a transfer request or wants to leave. the club, which leaves the club in a very bad position in terms of negotiating an exit at some point.
“If he really believes that he still wants to be a Manchester United player and he still wants a good career, you don't come out with a statement like that. You keep your mouth shut, you fight and you hope you win. some opportunity.
“People talk about 30 goals, which is a lot. It is not out of this world. We are looking at some players now, they have better figures than that and it is at Manchester United, a better team that has a lot of control. of games.
“Manchester United should have a player every season scoring 30 goals. If they are going to play 55 to 60 games, if you have a player who can't score 30 goals, maybe he shouldn't be at Manchester United. .”
Redknapp: Rashford has done Amorim a favor by showing his cards early
Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp:
“In a way, he has done Amorim a favour. He has shown him his cards very early on, which is not always helpful from a negotiation point of view because if Marcus Rashford leaves, there is no the fact that he wants to leave helps when he leaves you want to get money in.
“I don't think Amorim came in with preconceived ideas. Rashford started against Ipswich in his first game, scored and a few people were saying 'Well, maybe he can be a Manchester United No.9'.
“But what is secret for Amorim is that we don't see him every day, see how he trains, see how he lives his life, see how he does it behave in and around the locker room, seeing what kind of role model he has. players – and he obviously doesn't think he's the right kind of person to want around.
“You don't leave a big player you want in your team out of a derby game. It's just not what you do. You want to bring all the good players with you. If he doesn't buy what Ruben Amorim wants, it's over. So maybe the best thing for Marcus now, he said, is to leave.
“Does that mean he can't stay? Of course he can. In 2010, it was Wayne Rooney who put in a transfer request and 48 hours later, he signed a new contract. He is not ' Wayne Rooney level play, granted, but things can change. There's always a way back, but Marcus has to change.
“Form is one thing. Everyone can have bad spells, but I think what would worry a club is his attitude on the pitch. We saw him last year when there were times he wasn't running and that's my biggest fear for him.
“One way or another, he has to fall in love with football again. You have to love the game. You are very lucky to be playing at this level. It is a difficult situation there is no doubt that he has talent, but somehow he has to fall back in love with the game and enjoy it because, at the moment, he seems to be playing football under pressure.”