What an embarrassment this club is. In what is becoming a really terrible trend for the club, Manchester United are dealing with yet another internal player issue with Marcus Rashford’s late-night debacle.
This is what happens when you allow unchecked player power and festering content to rot.
Despite being one of the largest clubs in England with one of the most profitable, successful, and well-known brands in world football, Manchester United are dealing with a THIRD internal player issue in the form of Marcus Rashford now facing serious punishment for his late-night antics before their training sessions for the FA Cup matchup against Newport County. And, even though I’m a diehard fan of the club, I can’t help but condemn the rot that has been allowed to fester.
This is what the acceptance of abject failure and underperforming expectations does to a football club.
For those who haven’t heard the news coming out of Manchester United and a Belfast nightclub, Marcus Rashford is facing serious discipline from Erik Ten Hag and the team for not only lying about being ill for the club’s 4th round matchup against Newport County (which was played today to the tune of a 4-2 United victory) and the Friday training session prior to the match, but for also leaving England and partying all night in a Belfast, Northern Ireland nightclub on Thursday night.
You know, THE VERY SAME DAY RASHFORD SAID HE WAS ILL!!!
If you’re a United fan, which I happen to be, you’re thanking the good lord above for the fact that Manchester United were able to beat Newport County without Rashford in the squad as we all know the kind of media attention and speculation that would come from such an event.
Nevertheless, even though United won today without Rashford, there can be no excuses or justifications for the growing evidence that Rashford lied to the club about being ill and purposefully missed an important match to party. I don’t care that the guy is one $350K/week, or that he was a 30+ goal scorer last season, or even that he’s a local Manchester hero for what he did for school children during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marcus Rashford MUST BE PUNISHED! HARSHLY!
Why? Well, unfortunately for Rashford, he’s failing victim to not only his own judgement shortcomings, but also the ones of his wayward teammates as he is the THIRD United player this season to have internal/professional issues worthy of punishment.
The year started off with Jadon Sancho calling out Erik Ten Hag for his own poor performances in training, refusing to apologize for the next three months as he was exiled from the team, and then was sent back on loan to Dortmund earlier this month to end his HORRIBLE spell with the club for now.
Then, a little while later this month, news came out that Anthony Martial, who is currently the 2nd oldest, consecutively serving member of the squad (Luke Shaw is the eldest with his time beginning in 2014), was not training with the team at all due to extremely poor personal fitness; then, about a week ago, Martial underwent a 10-week groin surgery that will keep him out until March at the very earliest.
Three of the most promising talents when they were originally brought into the team now all either sidelined with season-threatening injuries or professional issues. Do you see the issue here?
The club has rewarded these players (along with many others) for failing to live up to their, respective, expectations and not delivering any meaningful success to the football club. Hell, prior to this past season, Manchester United had not one a trophy since Jose Mourinho carried a poor 2016/17 United roster to a 2016 Community Shield, 2017 EFL Cup, and 2017 Europa League title victories. This is the state of the football club!
Success has been treated like leprosy and failure like gold. And you don’t need me to tell you that such a mindset will kill even the greatest and sturdiest of foundations, let alone football clubs with as much turmoil and strife as Man United post Sir Alex Ferguson.
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