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Manchester United legend Gary Neville has issued a warning to Marcus Rashford after reports emerged of the forward’s night out in Belfast ahead of an FA Cup clash with Newport County.
The England attacker was left out of the squad for Sunday’s game after Erik ten Hag revealed that he was too ill to play, with reports from The Sun claiming he was out until 3am on Friday morning in Belfast.
The player is then thought to have called in sick after an all-day drinking session, which is believed to have raised concerns from club staff that the player’s lifestyle is impacting his career.
However despite his hugely impressive form last season that helped United end their trophy drought and qualify for the Champions League, he has since struggled this term after signing a new £325,000-a-week deal.
He is reportedly now set to be fined some £650,000 – two weeks’ wages – as a result of his antics, and Neville has warned that the player needs to be ‘careful’ and that he should focus on his football.
‘To me, going out for a drink or going out for a night out is something that every football player will do and should do so I’ve got no problem with that whatsoever,’ Neville told BBC Breakfast. ‘They need to enjoy themselves.
‘It’s just all about choices and timing. Manchester United have just had a winter break. They’ve had a couple of weeks off so there was a better moment for him to choose to go out. I would say, go out and have your moment where you relax with your friends, but your timing has to be right.
‘Marcus himself knows – he’s an experienced player now, we’re not talking about a young lad – but he’s done it a couple of times in the last few months.’
Rashford had come in for criticism earlier this season after reportedly partying late into the night after a defeat to Manchester City in the Manchester derby in October, as reported by The Telegraph.
That incident came on his 26th birthday, although his manager Ten Hag was quick to criticise his actions.
As such, Neville was understandably quick to point out that the player will not want to allow his off-field activities to colour his personality or reputation.
Rashford is one of the best-loved figures in English football as a result of his generosity and hard work with charities, particularly in his campaigning for young children to help provide food for schoolchildren, earning him widespread praise and plaudits.
Neville added: ‘I’ve always seen Marcus as being really responsible, a good professional and someone who works hard every single day. I know he’s going through a dip in form at this moment in time but it’s happened twice and it can sometimes become your personality if you’re not careful.
‘If you do it too many times people can start saying, “what’s happening in his life?” He just needs to relax, calm down, choose when to go out and get back to playing football at the levels we know he can.’
After the highs of last season, when he scored some 30 goals in all competitions, he has struggled to replicate that form with just four in 2023-24.
As Neville points out, the timing of his latest night out in Belfast comes after the club had only played two games in January prior to Sunday’s win.
Rashford reported for United training on Monday to hold crunch talks with Ten Hag and director of football John Murtough over his recent conduct, with the club highlighting the forward ‘has taken responsibility for his actions’ which have been ‘dealt with internally’.
A report in The Sun claimed Rashford collapsed fully clothed into bed at 3am on Friday, hours before phoning in sick to United following an all-day drinking session.
A waitress who claims she was invited out by the England star on Thursday said at the end of the night Rashford was so drunk that he dropped wads of cash in front of her in his five-star hotel room, moments before she was forced to put him to bed after he passed out.
Speaking to The Sun, the aforementioned waitress Sarah Adair claimed Rashford, who is paid £325,000-a-week, invited her on the ‘weird’ night out in Belfast in which she said he was ‘clearly on a mission to get drunk’.
The footballer, who was pictured having dinner with his childhood sweetheart fiancee Lucia Loi in November months after they split, was also allegedly seen arguing with a French woman at a nightclub later.
Rashford’s behaviour is alleged to have angered his team-mates with one source saying: ‘They couldn’t believe that he would do that given the situation the club is in.’
His antics are not solely confined to nights out and partying, having notably been dropped by Ten Hag previously after reporting late to a game against Wolves.
After leaving Rashford out of his squad on Sunday, Erik ten Hag vowed to deal with the ‘internal matter’.
United released a statement on Monday evening confirming Rashford had taken responsibility for his actions and they now consider the matter closed.
It said: ‘Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed.’
Mail Sport also reported on Monday that his team-mates were not happy with his actions, which came ahead of the club’s match against Newport County in the FA Cup, which represents their only realistic chance of a trophy this season.
United return to action on Thursday when they travel to Molineux in the Premier League to take on Wolves, with Rashford expected to be in contention for selection.
