"Something is clearly wrong" - Alan Shearer slams Marcus Rashford for 'wasting his talent', missing Manchester United's FA Cup tie against Newport

Manchester United superstar Marcus Rashford missed their FA Cup match against Newport due to illness. However, Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag hinted that there might be more to the story, and this has led Alan Shearer to question the winger's attitude.

Before the match, Ten Hag revealed to the press (via GOAL):

"He reported ill. Let's say, it's an internal matter, I'll deal with it. It's an internal matter."

Before his absence from training ahead of the game, Rashford was seen in Belfast nightclubs, spending time with his friends. It is uncertain if the winger's clubbing is directly connected to his illness, but Ten Hag calling it "an internal" matter raised questions.

Former England striker Alan Shearer expressed as much to BBC Sport, slamming Marcus Rashford in a rant (via GOAL):

"If it's an internal matter, you'd think something is up. There’s a huge talent in there with Marcus Rashford. We’ve seen him be disciplined last season when he was late to a meeting before a game but something is clearly wrong - either at home or in his relationship with the football club. He can’t keep doing this, he can’t keep wasting his talent because it’s not right."

After scoring an impressive 30 goals last season, Rashford signed a new contract with Manchester United. But this season, his performance has dipped shockingly, with just four goals so far. Shearer continued, explaining that the Manchester United attacker needed help sorting his career out:

"He needs strong management, someone to get hold of him and tell him there’ll be huge regrets come the end of his career if he continues doing this. You can’t keep doing it, it needs sorting now. Thirty goals last season, four this season. When I see him play, it looks like he’s got the world on his shoulders.”

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Erik ten Hag could potentially punish Manchester United star Marcus Rashford for nightclub situation

Erik ten Hag might have to address Marcus Rashford's behavior again this season.

Rashford was previously criticized for going to Chinawhite, a nightclub in Manchester, just hours after United's 3-0 loss to Manchester City in October. At the time, the manager called this "unacceptable" and labeled it an "internal matter."

Since Ten Hag joined Manchester United, he has become popular for enforcing strict rules and has not hesitated to penalize players. He has a history of making very tough decisions, like sidelining Cristiano Ronaldo and sending Jadon Sancho out of the first-team squad.

The manager also notably dropped Marcus Rashford from the starting lineup in December 2022 for arriving late to a team meeting. And now, Rashford might face consequences again. He was in a nightclub just hours before a team training session, and this behavior could lead to another punishment from Ten Hag.