Ruben Amorim says Marcus Rashford has a “big responsibility” to help Manchester United out of one of the club’s lowest moments by performing at his best, with the manager insisting the forward wants to play.
Rashford has been excluded from United’s past three match-day squads owing to his performance in training and for “selection reasons”, the head coach has said. Amorim takes his side to Wolves on Boxing Day after the Carabao Cup defeat at Tottenham and the 3-0 loss against Bournemouth in the Premier League at Old Trafford last Sunday.
United are 13th after 17 matches, meaning they will be in the bottom half on Christmas Day for the first time since 1989. The head coach urged Rashford, who has been at the club since he was seven, to show leadership.
“Some guys have a big responsibility here because they are here for a long time,” Amorim said.
“This is maybe one of the lowest moments in our club. We have to face it and be strong in this moment. That’s what I want for every player. Be the best that they can be. If you have big talent [produce a] big performance, take a big responsibility, have big engagement, push forward everybody in this moment.”
Amorim has questioned the choices of people around Rashford after the player gave an interview to the journalist Henry Winter, two days after United beat Manchester City 2-1, in which the forward said he was “ready for a new challenge”. Amorim said Rashford wants to come back into the team. “He wants to play. He is trying. It’s only my decision. When I feel that is the right moment I will change something. Until then I will continue to think about what is the best for the team.”
Amorim does not believe the Rashford situation is a distraction. “I don’t think so. Not for me, not for the other players because everybody is there every day during training [and] they understand. That is the key point. The media and other people, I cannot control that.”
The coach denied he had held a one-to-one discussion with Rashford regarding his situation. “I speak with him every day, not about the interview but about the performance. I spoke with a lot of players individually during training so I’m trying to do things my way. It’s the only way I know. If I don’t I will lose myself.”
Amorim has been in charge for six league games, winning two and losing three. He was asked why United are so low in the table. “That’s a difficult question to answer and we have to know not to let this become normal,” he said. “I understand that it’s a tough moment. Since the first day that I arrived, it’s been on me because I’m responsible for the team.”
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As Amorim answered, water leaked from the roof of the media room. He pointed to the ceiling. “If I knew [the answer], I would solve all the problems of this club, even this [leak]. I know what I’m going to do. That’s why I feel so … I will not say relaxed because I’m really frustrated, also like the fans, but I know what to do.
“We have to solve some problems step by step. But it’s a very difficult moment. We understand the fans [being unhappy] and we will fight. The present is this. What we have to do for the future is to make sure this does not happen again.”
