Manchester United’s 4-2 victory over League Two Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup certainly left more questions than answers for manager Erik ten Hag, not least because of the conspicuous absence of Marcus Rashford. Whilst the Red Devils toiled to victory in front of 9000 raucous Newport fans, the England international was absent, officially due to illness but later explained by Ten Hag as an “Internal matter”, leaving the situation shrouded in uncertainty.
Marcus Rashford Misses FA Cup Win Due To An ‘Internal Matter’
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Not The First Time
After the squad was given Wednesday and Thursday off, Rashford flew to Northern Ireland to visit former United youth teammate and close friend Ro-Shaun Williams, now playing for Belfast side Larne. Whilst Rashford attended a nightclub on Wednesday night with his employer’s full knowledge, the club was unaware until Friday that the England international (59 caps, 17 goals) was again nocturnally active on Thursday night and flew back to Manchester on Friday morning before calling in sick.
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If Ten Hag refused to elaborate post-match, repeating several times that it was an “Internal matter”, it was because it wasn’t the first transgression on Rashford’s record. Indeed, the forward was notably dropped to the bench for an away game at Wolves last season for oversleeping and missing an important team meeting. That day, he came off the bench to score the winner and stated afterwards that he understood his manager’s decision to drop him.
This season, the academy product was once again reprimanded by his manager for going out after United’s 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City, the Dutchman unhappy with the image projected by a homegrown player socializing after such a damaging loss to Pep Guardiola’s cross-town rivals.
What Now?
It remains to be seen whether the England international will be reintegrated ahead of Thursday’s fixture, ironically away at Wolves. The fan reaction online has been visceral, with many arguing that the forward’s poor form this season (Four goals and six assists in 26 appearances in all competitions) combined with his repeated disciplinary transgressions should result in his being moved on this summer. After a prolific 2022/23 (30 goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances), it seems that the player has lost all of the confidence and focus that defined his play last term.
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An unconvincing cup display, as well as this situation, have given the manager fresh problems, just as things were starting to look up on the injury front with the return of Luke Shaw, Lisando Martinez and Casemiro at Newport. After the disciplinary issues with Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood, the Dutchman is once again left with an off-the-field situation to resolve, as if there weren’t enough issues on it.
As of January 30, 2024, the situation has now been resolved and the England international will be available for selection for the Wolves game on Thursday. Rashford can be an on-the-field solution, but his Manchester United future may well be defined by whether he chooses to cease to be a problem away from the field of play.
