PA Media/dpa
London
Defiant Ruben Amorim insists Marcus Rashford’s absence is not a distraction and that he knows what he is doing as the head coach seeks to get the best out of the forward and turn Manchester United around.
Erik ten Hag’s successor has had a topsy-turvy time since taking the reins, one epitomized by going from a late comeback win at Manchester City to a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth the following Sunday.
That week also saw United lose a chaotic League Cup quarter-final 4-3 at Tottenham and scrutiny over the future of homegrown star Rashford, who was omitted from the matchday squad for all three of those games.
The 27-year-old fuelled speculation by admitting he was “ready for a new challenge” in a midweek interview, meaning the England international remained a hot topic ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Wolves.
“Normal situation,” Amorim said. “When I feel that it’s the right moment I will change something. Until then I will continue to think what is the best for the team.
“I speak with him every day. Not about the interview, about the performance.” Amorim confirmed that Rashford “wants to play, he is trying” but “it’s my decision, only my decision.” Asked to clarify what he would like to see from Rashford, he said: “Like any other player, the best that they can be.
“If you have big talents, big performance, big responsibility, big engagement, like push forward everybody in this moment. And some guys have a big responsibility here because they are here for a long time.
“So, this is maybe one of the lowest moments in our club, so we have to face it and be strong in this moment. That’s what I want for every player on the team.” Amorim wants a reaction on Boxing Day against compatriot Vitor Pereira, who is taking charge of his first match at Molineux fresh from leading Wolves to a 3-0 win at Leicester.
United lost by the same scoreline at home to Bournemouth, leaving them 13th in the standings over Christmas and leading to questions about how a club that size can be so low.
“That’s a difficult question to answer and we have to know that don’t let this become normal,” Amorim said. “I understand that it’s a tough moment, and it’s on me.
“We just have to think about improving, to understand the context and not focus on what happened in the past. The present is this. What we have to do for the future to not happen again.”
