Rashford missed Man Utd's training after partying at a nightclub
MARCUS RASHFORD is in trouble again at Manchester United after missing training after a night out in Belfast.
The England star is believed to have told boss Erik ten Hag on Friday that he was too ill, despite being spotted at Thompsons Garage nightclub hours earlier.
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The incident is another headache for Ten Hag ahead of a possible FA Cup fourth round tie at League Two's Newport.
Rashford trained on Wednesday and was photographed at Lavery's Bar that evening ahead of a planned day off.
It is believed he has been in Northern Ireland to see his friend and former teammate Ro-Shaun Williams, who is signed for Larne FC.
The striker was spotted in Thompsons on Thursday and flew home on a private jet the next morning.
But Ten Hag revealed at his pre-match press conference on Friday that “Rashford was ill” and could not train.
The forward's partying is likely to attract the disciplinary wrath of Ten Hag, who has already criticized Rashford once this season for partying, especially as the players have only just returned from a week off.
Ten Hag criticized Rashford's night out after his side were defeated 3-0 by Manchester City in a derby.
The Dutch boss said: “I spoke to him about it. It's unacceptable. He apologized and that was it. For us it is an internal matter. He is very motivated to put things right. He is completely with us.
“He made a mistake, but that doesn't mean he doesn't belong. I see him every day at training, I know what he does.”
And in December 2022, Ten Hag removed Rashford from the starting line-up against Wolves after he overslept and was late for a meeting.
The latest disciplinary breach comes shortly after United winger Jadon Sancho was loaned out to Borussia Dortmund.
He was frozen out of the selection after Ten Hag dropped him due to poor performance in training.
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Sancho hit out, accusing Ten Hag of using him as a “scapegoat” and then refusing to apologise.
Ten Hag admits that he is under as much pressure as his men to secure a place in the United Revolution.
The Dutchman only has one season left on his contract in the summer.
He has held regular discussions with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos team since his £1.03 billion investment was confirmed.
The Red Devils boss refused to reveal whether there was any talk of a new deal in the extensive discussions.
He said: “We talk about many topics but I cannot go into details. The most important thing is the club. It's not about an individual person.
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“But when you are involved in top football, I think you know that you have to prove yourself every day. That applies to everyone who works for this club.”
Ten Hag adds: “Last season we performed above average.
“Now we have a downfall and we have to stop it. We know we have to be better.
“At United you have to win trophies. That should be the mentality here.”
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