Rashford's lifestyle 'worried Utd staff in 2021' – as Rooney gets in touch

MANCHESTER United staff were concerned about Marcus Rashford's 'party lifestyle' as early as autumn 2021, insiders claim.

Concerns were raised that the star was enjoying boozy nights out and having rowdy house parties with friends.

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Wayne Rooney, who himself had encountered difficulties in his career, decided to contact his former teammate.

The Sun understands that Reds legends David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand have also been in contact.

Their interventions came after Old Trafford bosses became concerned about a series of worrying allegations about the conduct of England international Rashford.

And The Sun told how Rashford completed a 12-hour training session in Belfast last week and then called in sick for training on Friday.

He was dropped for Sunday's 4-2 FA Cup win over Newport and will be fined two weeks of his £325,000 weekly wages.

He expressed regret for his actions on Monday during a tense meeting with manager Erik ten Hag and United's director of football John Murtough.

The club said the matter is now closed and he will be eligible for selection for tomorrow's match against Wolves.

But previous alarm bells have included Rashford's relationship with the fans – usually rock-solid given his status as an academy graduate.

They suffered when he clashed at Old Trafford with a supporter who criticized his performance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

He allegedly confronted the fan with the words: “Who the fuck do you think you are, you stupid bastard, come back and say it to my face.” He later denied it.

Rooney, who like Rashford came into the public eye as a teenager, was keen to help.

A source said: “The club was alerted to a number of issues that were causing them concern. People close to Marcus believed that a solution might be to ask Wayne if he would be good enough to contact Marcus directly and offer support.

'Wayne was more than happy to help. Marcus has always looked up to Wayne – he is one of his idols – so he was very happy to hear from him.”

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Rooney, who was by then retired and manager of Derby County, contacted Rashford by telephone.

He gave him words of encouragement and made it clear he was available if Rashford ever needed his advice.

Rashford said in an interview with Gary Neville in 2023 how grateful he was for Rooney's support.

He said: “I always think to myself, how can I help other players like certain players helped me.

“I feel like I'm in the right position and everything to really help them early in their careers. I try to steer them in the right direction, the same way people like Wazza do [Rooney]Carrars [Michael Carrick]Juan [Juan Mata] it all sent me in the right direction.”

But despite the support Rashford received, some continued to worry that his love of nightlife is having a negative impact on his performance on the pitch.

The 26-year-old has been spotted entering casinos including Manchester's 235 casino and Genting in the city's Chinatown district.

It is believed that Rashford started playing poker at home with some of his United teammates and then started visiting casinos to play in private VIP rooms while chugging beers.

Casino patrons gathered at the door to see him. A source said: “Marcus loves playing poker and has been doing it for years. He had maybe a few bottles of beer – nothing crazy, but he wasn't used to that, so it wasn't great.

“When Marcus was challenged about it, he always pushed back and said it was no problem.”

Another source said: “Marcus loves the nightlife but the worry is he's just doing too much of it. His house has been a party house.”

Even more upset came when his turbulent relationship with childhood sweetheart Lucia Loi, 25, broke down.

The couple met while at Ashton-on-Mersey school, while Rashford was a United scholar.

A source said: “Lucia is great for Marcus because she is a normal girl and has known him before moneythe cars and the jewellery.

“If you strip back his personality, he's not the most confident when it comes to women, and has the same insecurities as most people.”

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Another issue that has weighed heavily on Rashford of late is supporting his extended family.

He is so close to brothers Dwaine and Dane that they all live in townhouses on the same street, along with mother Melanie.

But those relationships have been tested following Dane's arrest on suspicion of assault in October while on holiday in Miami with his partner.

The Police The case was dropped, but the fallout led Dwaine to put his house up for sale and caused friction within the family.

A source said: “Marcus loves his whole family very much but it is exhausting for him.”

Rashford has also bought properties for extended family members, but that has added to his stress levels as some expected him to continue to care for them.

The source added: “Marcus is really struggling. Everyone who cares for him needs to step up and help him, rather than expecting it to be the other way around.

“He may be a rich footballer, but he is a young man who has lost his way. The sooner he finds it, the better.”