Marcus Rashford is as curious of a case as it gets. Among Manchester United players, no one is utilized in promotions and branding more. See the next two photos in this post as an example.
He’s the face of their franchise, their overall biggest “star,” and gets paid more than £325,000-per-week for that privilege. Yet he can’t even get in the matchday squad.
Boxing Day FYIs
Manchester United at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Kick off: Thurs. December 26, 5:30, Molineux, Wolverhampton, UK
Man United Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Result Probability: Wolves 26% Man United 49% Draw 25%
PL Form, Position: Wolves LLLLW, 19 pts, 18th Man United WLLWL, 22 pts, 13th
Man United Team News
He is not injured, nor suspended, and manager Ruben Amorim made it clear, ahead of the disastrous loss to AFC Bournemouth on Sunday that Rashford was available for selection.
He didn’t play a second, so what’s going on?
Rashford has publicly clamored for a move away, and Amorim was asked to comment on that.
“It is a hard situation,” he said. “I understand that these players have a lot of people around them, making choices that are not the first idea from the player.
“I am always here to help Marcus. I have to do what I have to do. They chose to do the interview, as it is not just Marcus. I understand that.
“As a coach I focus on performance and the way you train. The rest, it is better for me and the club to deal with that when the time comes. At the moment I focus on improving Marcus and we need a talented guy like Marcus. I forget the interview now and see what I see on the pitch.”
Moving on, United have a new fitness concern, Matthijs de Ligt, who has an unspecified illness.
“[Matthijs] is still sick, and Harry (Maguire), we just saved him [on Thursday] because he did the first 90 minutes for a long time [at City],” Amorim said this weekend.
“We have to be careful with this kind of player.”
He’s a doubt for Thursday.
Finally, Mason Mount, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw remain out indefinitely.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.