Manchester United say they have dealt with “an internal disciplinary matter” concerning forward Marcus Rashford and now consider the episode closed.
Rashford was left out of United’s squad for their 4-2 win over Newport County in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday, with his absence initially being put down to illness.
However, boss Erik ten Hag suggested there was more to it when he said there was an “internal matter” at play after United’s victory at Rodney Parade.
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Rashford was pictured in a Belfast nightclub on Wednesday with the club reportedly aware of that trip, but he was also seen out in the city on Thursday night, just hours before he was due to attend training.
Rashford returned to Manchester on Friday morning before reporting that he was too ill to train.
In a widely reported statement issued on Monday, United said: “Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions.
“This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed.”
New week, same goals 👊#MUFC || #MONDAYMOTIVATION PIC.TWITTER.COM/YEMCDSIGVI
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) JANUARY 29, 2024
Rashford will now be available for selection when United travel to Molineux for their next Premier League fixture against Wolves on Thursday.
This is not Rashford’s first indiscretion since Ten Hag took charge; in December 2022, he was dropped from United’s starting lineup for another trip to Wolves after being late to a team meeting, though he came off the bench to score the only goal in a 1-0 win for the Red Devils.
Last November, he was also dropped from United’s side for their EFL Cup defeat to Newcastle United after celebrating his birthday in a nightclub just a few hours after Ten Hag’s team were thrashed 3-0 by neighbours Manchester City.
Rashford has only scored four goals in 26 appearances across all competitions this season, having netted 30 times in 56 games during Ten Hag’s first campaign at the helm.
