Ruben Amorim's Criticism of Marcus Rashford Raises Eyebrows

Cataleya

January 28, 2025 · 1 min read

Ruben Amorim's Criticism of Marcus Rashford Raises Eyebrows
Football | January 28, 2025
Ruben Amorim's management could force Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United. (Image: Martin Rickett/PA)

Ruben Amorim recently made headlines by stating that he would rather give a spot on the bench to his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than Marcus Rashford, citing a perceived lack of effort from the striker. Rashford has been absent from United’s matchday squad for six weeks with Ruben Amorim claiming the 27-year-old isn’t giving his “maximum” in training. This criticism has raised questions about Rashford’s future at Old Trafford with several European clubs reportedly interested in signing him before the transfer deadline.

Amorim’s comments aren’t the first time a Premier League manager has publicly criticized a player. Harry Redknapp criticized Darren Bent in 2009, saying his wife could have scored a missed chance in a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth. Despite the remarks, Bent finished the season as Tottenham’s top scorer. In 2014, Redknapp also took aim at Adel Taarabt for poor fitness, calling him “three stone overweight” and stating he couldn’t protect players who didn’t want to train.

Jose Mourinho has also been outspoken with players, particularly during his time at Manchester United and Tottenham. He famously criticized Luke Shaw for his lack of commitment and fitness in 2017 and later singled out Tanguy Ndombele at Spurs in 2020 for not performing at the expected level. Pep Guardiola publicly called Kalvin Phillips “overweight” after the 2022 World Cup, leading to a temporary rift.

Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag dropped Jadon Sancho in 2023 for not meeting the required level in training, leading to a fallout with the player. The list of managers criticizing players continues with Ange Postecoglou also publicly calling out Timo Werner for underperformance. These incidents show that public criticism while controversial is a recurring trend in football.