Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has suggested that Marcus Rashford will not be involved in Sunday's Premier League clash with Liverpool.
Rashford is Man United's joint-second highest goalscorer this season with seven goals, but he has recently been overlooked by Amorim, as the new manager at Old Trafford looks to set a new standard of behaviour.
Poor performances in training, coupled with his general demeanour around Carrington, played a role in the 27-year-old initially being left out against Manchester City in the Manchester derby, and he has not featured in the Premier League since December 7.
Rashford's last minutes came against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on December 12, when he was substituted early in the second half after another underwhelming performance.
The forward was back in the squad against Newcastle United on Monday, but he proved to be an unused substitute despite the fact that Man United fell 2-0 behind in the first period and needed an attacking threat.
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Rashford set to miss Sunday's trip to Liverpool
Amorim, as expected, was asked about Rashford during his press conference on Friday afternoon, and the Portuguese all but confirmed that the attacker would not be involved.
The Red Devils head coach said that it was "the same situation" but also revealed that Rashford was absent from training due to an illness, making it even more unlikely that he would make the trip to Merseyside.
"It's the same situation but, at the moment, he's ill," Amorim told reporters on Friday afternoon. "I think he's going to be out this week. He's not training so we will see."
Rashford has four goals and one assist in 15 Premier League appearances this season, while he has represented the Red Devils on 426 occasions, scoring 138 times and registering 63 assists.
There is a chance that the forward has played his final game for Man United, though, and he is being tipped to leave Old Trafford before the January transfer window closes for business.
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What is the latest on Rashford's future?
Rashford has allegedly rejected three substantial offers from the Saudi Pro League this month, with the forward believed to be determined to continue his career in European football.
Arsenal have been credited with an interest, but with the Gunners only believed to be willing to pay £25m, it is highly unlikely that a switch to the Emirates Stadium will take place, also factoring in Man United's desire not to let him move to another English club.
Paris Saint-Germain are long-term admirers, while Barcelona are believed to be his 'dream club', but at the moment, neither are planning a swoop for the forward, who recently spoke of his desire to seek "a new challenge", during the winter market.
As a result, Rashford's options are limited, and he may be forced to sit out the second half of the 2024-25 campaign before securing a move away from Old Trafford this summer.
However, there have been suggestions of a possible swap deal involving Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, who has scored 12 goals and registered five assists in 15 appearances on loan at Galatasaray this term.
Matt Law
