Usually at the first press conference of the summer, the coach has a lot to deal with, and it was no different when Manchester United's Erik Ten Hag sat down in the auditorium of a private school in rural New Jersey in July. But between some difficult questions about the club's much-maligned owners, the Glazer family, the restrictive transfer budget and Mason Greenwood's uncertain future, there's one issue that's relatively simple on the surface.
The question is about Marcus Rashford, who has just signed a new five-year contract at Manchester United after a season that reached 30 goals. That's good news, right? Yes, Ten Hag said, but his answer also came with a caveat that it may be more relevant now than it was then.
Without prompting, the Dutch coach began talking about the "right attitude" that Rashford must have to continue to deliver the type of numbers that distinguish the best players in the world from their peers, adding that "players can't match the sensational lives and top football matches".
It was part of what Ten Hag felt compelled to remind Rashford at Monday's meeting in Carrington as the pair tried to sort through the mess left by the England striker's trip to the Belfast nightclub last week.
The gist of the story is simple. Marcus Rashford travelled to Belfast on Wednesday to prepare for the day before Thursday's holiday. He was spotted out out in the Northern Ireland capital on Thursday night before reporting on Friday that he was unwell and unable to practice for Sunday's FA Cup game against Newport County. Marcus Rashford also did not train on Saturday but trained at Carrington on Sunday, while his team-mates advanced to the fifth round with a 4-2 win in southern Wales.
He reported being sick," Ten Hag said after Sunday's game. "Other things are internal affairs. I deal with it. As I said, this is an internal matter. ”
On Monday, following talks between Ten Hag, Marcus Rashford, football director John Murtaugh and Rashford's brother and agent Dwayne, United released a statement in an attempt to close the story. "Marcus takes responsibility for his actions," the statement read. "This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary issue and has now been resolved. ”
Ten Hag was reluctant to talk further about the matter at his weekly press conference on Wednesday, but he gave a general speech to his squad and his message to Rashford was clear. 'Players at this level need to manage themselves – that's what you can ask of players,' he said. 'Players have to know what's good and what's bad.
When you want to play top football, it requires a specific way of life. Always. ”
The problem is that this is not an isolated case. Ten Hag called Marcus Rashford's decision to attend his birthday party a few hours after Manchester City's 3-0 defeat to Manchester United last October, having been penalised for being late last season and being substituted against Wolves last season. He came off the bench to score the only goal in that game to a 1-0 win and admitted his mistake afterwards: "Obviously it's the team rules. I made a mistake,' Rashford told BT Sport. "We drew the line and moved on. ......I overslept, but this kind of thing can happen. ”
To his credit, Marcus Rashford responded to criticism of the week surrounding his trip to Belfast by scoring a goal in United's thrilling 4-3 win over Wolves.
After each mistake, Rashford showed the repentance necessary to get things resolved – something Jaden Sancho clearly failed to do in his public altercation with Ten Hag – and then everyone moved on relatively quickly. However, concerns within the club over Rashford's off-pitch behaviour and his tendency to get into periods of inattention are still mounting.
Marcus Rashford isn't your typical confident footballer – although he sometimes displays this trait in action and in games – he's usually shy and introverted. Professional football can be a lonely business, with a lot of time spent at home, and it's worth noting that many of his closest football friends at United over the past few years have changed clubs, including Paul Pogba (who left Manchester United in 2022), Jesse Lingard (who left in 2022), Jadon Sancho (who returned to Dortmund on loan after being expelled from the squad in September) and his closest friend in the current squad, Tyrell Malacia Malacia has also spent a lot of time out of Manchester due to a knee ligament injury suffered last summer.
In fact, Rashford only went to Belfast because he went to visit his close friend and former Manchester United team-mate Ro-Shaun Williams, who restarted his career at Larne Football Club after leaving Doncaster last summer.
For friends and acquaintances outside of football, it can be difficult to understand and respect the discipline and consistency required to be a top player. Manchester United's *** insist they have put in place internal and external mechanisms to help any player who is struggling, but the club's message is always the same: the key is always that the player must be willing to participate.
For Marcus Rashford, it's reminiscent of the period after he conceded a penalty shoot-out in the Euro 2021 final. In the aftermath of that defeat, he suffered widespread racial discrimination while also dealing with the feeling that he had let his country down. According to those around him at the time, some thought he should have received more help than he did to get through that time.
Amid genuine concerns about where Rashford might go, more than one former United player has contacted him to see if they can offer help or advice.
Born in Manchester, Marcus Rashford has been a United player since the age of seven and should have been at the heart of a new era at club under minority owner Jim Ratcliffe, but for the first time, questions are really starting to be raised whether it is time for him to leave. Many supporters couldn't stand what they saw as a lack of commitment, and for many, the trip to Belfast was the last straw due to some lackluster performances on the pitch, notably in the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle in December.
Paris Saint-Germain's Marcus Rashford has fans who could lose Kylian Mbappe in the summer, while Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola have long been admirers. However, United's demands are coupled with Rashford's long-term contract and around 31 per weekA salary of £50,000 poses a significant obstacle for almost every team in the world.
At the very least, Rashford will stay until the end of the season and the staff will be hoping he serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of his ill-fated trip to Northern Ireland, which could ultimately be a potential benefit.
There's a feeling that the 26-year-old is at a crossroads from where his career could go in a number of different directions. The choice, as always, is in Rashford's hands.