Manchester United players are reportedly astonished and “upset” with Marcus Rashford for his absence in the FA Cup tie against Newport County after a night of clubbing in Belfast.
The English forward was excluded from the squad for the FA Cup fourth-round match due to a 12-hour night out in Northern Ireland, fueled by tequila. According to The Daily Mail, Rashford faced criticism from his teammates, especially senior players who remain displeased with the nightclub incident, despite Manchester United’s late victory at Rodney Parade. Rashford, who has been facing challenges in the current season, had already faced questions about his commitment to the team.
The club was allegedly misled by Rashford’s team regarding the timeline of events, claiming that the nightclub footage was from Wednesday rather than Thursday. However, reports suggest he was spotted at Lavery’s Bar on Wednesday and later at Thompson’s Garage on Thursday in the same attire. Rashford also visited Northern Irish team Larne FC earlier in the day. The Sun reports that Rashford and his friends partied until the early morning, with a waitress helping him into his hotel.
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According to The Sun, the waitress mentioned, “I’m not surprised he missed training the next day given how late he got to bed and how much he’d had to drink. He must’ve known he wasn’t going to be in any fit state to play football. He was clearly on a mission to get drunk.” The waitress also revealed Rashford asked if he could be served drinks after 3 am by paying extra, indicating he had no intention of going to training on Friday and wasn’t planning to return home that night.
Rashford reportedly returned home at 7 am after being flown in by a private jet. This season, Rashford has faced two nightclub-related controversies, the first in October 2023 when he celebrated his 26th birthday after a Manchester City defeat, and the recent incident in Belfast. Manchester United issued a statement indicating that Rashford had taken responsibility for his actions, and the internal disciplinary matter is now closed.
Reports suggest Rashford is back in training and could feature in United’s upcoming game against Wolves. However, it remains unknown if manager Erik ten Hag has imposed a two-week pay penalty, potentially amounting to £630,000, as Rashford had previously faced consequences for being late to a team meeting last season.