(Reuters) – Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has addressed criticisms regarding his dedication to the Premier League club after being benched for disciplinary reasons by manager Erik ten Hag. The 26-year-old England international was absent from United’s 4-2 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Newport County after being spotted in nightclubs in Belfast.
Despite scoring a career-high 30 goals last season, Rashford has only found the net five times for United this season. He feels that he has been unfairly targeted by the media. In a piece for The Players Tribune, Rashford stated, “When I make a mistake, I’ll be the first one to admit it. But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that’s when I have to speak up.”
Rashford, who has been associated with United since childhood, emphasized his deep connection to the club. He highlighted the sacrifices his family made to enable him to represent the team. “If you start questioning my commitment to this club and my love for football then I’d simply ask you to have a bit more humanity,” he wrote.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rashford gained recognition for launching a campaign against child food poverty, leading to a government policy reversal in 2020. Despite his off-field efforts, Rashford feels that his actions have also faced backlash. “For some reason, that seemed to rub certain people the wrong way,” he said. “It seems like they’ve been waiting for me to have a human moment so they can point the finger and say, ‘See? See who he really is?’.”
United has had a disappointing season, currently sitting sixth in the Premier League and trailing fourth-placed Aston Villa by eight points. Rashford remains optimistic about the team’s potential, expressing a desire to return to the Champions League. “I promise you, the world has not seen the best of this United squad and these players. We want to be back playing in the Champions League,” he stated. “We just have to keep working, and that starts with me.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City, editing by Ed Osmond)
