Marcus Rashford concedes he is ready to LEAVE Man United for a ‘new challenge’ in bombshell interview, but insists he won’t make a ‘bad situation worse’ as he breaks silence on derby axe

Marcus Rashford has admitted he is ready to leave Manchester United after two decades.

He joined the club aged seven and made his debut in 2016 but has endured a complicated past 18 months. 

There have been questions about his application – particularly when he missed training after a 12-hour tequila bender in Belfast last season, while Gary Neville recently dubbed him ‘unprofessional’ for going to the USA to watch an NBA match during his time off.

But there has never been much doubt about Rashford’s potential, with the Englishman having scored 30 goals in the 2022-23 season and accumulated 60 caps for his country. 

In a candid interview with Henry Winter at his old primary school, where he handed out 420 presents to children, the 27-year-old conceded he wants a ‘new challenge’ and spoke about leaving as a ‘when’, not an ‘if’. 

‘For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps,’ he said. 

‘When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.

‘If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.’

Winter asked if he would always be a Red at heart. ‘Yes! 100%. 100%,’ came the reply. 

Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were recently dropped for the Manchester derby by Ruben Amorim – a decision which ultimately paid off, as the Red Devils won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

Amorim insisted that the pair had trained well and that there were no issues. 

On being axed, Rashford added: ‘It’s disheartening to be left out of a derby, but it’s happened, we won the game so let’s move on. 

‘It’s disappointing but I’m also someone as I’ve got older I can deal with setbacks. What am I going to do about it? Sit there and cry about it. Or do my best the next time I’m available.’

Rashford was encouraging to his team-mates after the derby win, writing on Instagram: ‘Yesssssssss! Love it lads’, followed by two red heart emojis, under a photo of Amad Diallo celebrating his 90th-minute winner.

But he has emerged as a prime candidate for sale as United are under pressure to generate funds. They are struggling to comply with PSR having posted losses of £300m over the last three years.

Rashford, on £325,000 per week, struggled in midweek against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League and just days after Mail Sport revealed that United are willing to listen to offers of £40million for him in January, he had been left out of the squad entirely.

Amorim dropped Rashford the the visit to Manchester City via WhatsApp message but insisted that nothing was untoward.

Asked why the homegrown forward was axed alongside Garnacho, he said: ‘Selection. We try to evaluate everything: training, performance, game performance, engagement with the team-mates, pushing the team-mates up. Everything is on the line when we analyse and try to choose the players, so that is my selection. 

‘Simple. I don’t want to send a message. It’s simply an evaluation, and they know it. The players are really, really smart. Everybody understands my decision. I have to choose. It’s just simple selection.

‘The context is difficult. We have to win games and we have a difficult situation. I pay attention to everything, the way you eat, the way you put on your clothes to go the game. Everything. I make my evaluation and then I have to decide. I have a lot of players to choose.

‘It’s the same all the time. There’s a communication after the last training which goes to the WhatsApp. They receive the information. 

‘But they are alright. They had training this morning. I was there. Everything was OK. They trained really well.’

More to follow.