Manchester United Revolution Eats Its Own Child Again

Marcus Rashford's departure adds to the list of MU players who decided to leave due to feeling incompatible with the new tactician. Jadon Sancho experienced it first when he had a disagreement with Erik Ten Hag.

Manchester United no longer feels like home for Rashford. After being sidelined for so long since Ruben Amorim took over as team manager, Rashford finally had enough. Despite still having a contract until 2028, the MU academy graduate decided to accept an offer from Aston Villa and join them on loan until the end of this season.

"Everyone at Manchester United is wishing Marcus success for the remainder of this season," said a statement from MU on their official website.

The departure of Rashford is greatly regretted by some fans of the "Red Devils". Among all MU players, Rashford is considered special because he is a native of Manchester. Moreover, Rashford is regarded as having extraordinary natural talent.

He is considered the player who has been associated with MU the longest. Rashford has been with the MU academy since the age of seven. There is no current MU player with "redder" blood than Rashford.

Villa is not the only club interested in Rashford's services. Barcelona, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund have also been linked with him. However, Rashford chose to continue playing in the English Premier League even though he is not playing for MU. The opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League is also one of the attractions that solidified Rashford's decision to leave.

As one of the club's valuable assets, Rashford receives a very high income per week. He is reported to earn a salary of 325 thousand pounds (around Rp 6.5 billion). Villa is willing to cover at least three-quarters of Rashford's salary.

The offer is hard for MU to refuse considering that keeping Rashford, who is no longer part of Amorim's plans, would be a waste of money. By letting go of Rashford, MU can at least save some money.

No one knows for sure what the root of the dispute between Amorim and Rashford is. However, rumors suggest that it is a disciplinary issue. According to The Athletic, Amorim heard that Rashford was caught going to a nightclub two days before the match against Everton.

Now imagine a talent like Rashford? Our team would be much better with Rashford. But he has to change.

Amorim is a typical coach who really doesn't like it when his players go to nightclubs before a match. He had confirmed the issue directly, but Rashford assured Amorim that he had heard the wrong information.

Three days later, Rashford was not included in the starting line-up against Arsenal. Since then, Rashford has increasingly lost his place in the first team. Issues related to his social life were also a consideration for Amorim to sideline Rashford.

Rashford's only appearance as a starter was against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. United won 2-1. After that, Rashford was again not included in the starting lineup in 12 matches.

Rashford was on the MU reserve list when facing Newcastle United. This match also confirmed the breakdown in Rashford's relationship with Amorim. Even though MU was 0-2 behind and needed an injection of energy in the attack line, Amorim still did not play Rashford.

“You can see our team and imagine the profile of the players. Now imagine a talent like Rashford? Our team should be much better with Rashford. But he has to change,” Amorim said.

After Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager, MU has not found a suitable figure as a replacement. Since then, there have been a total of 10 managers who have taken turns filling the captain's position. These managers bring different characters and personalities.

Their presence is part of MU's revolution that wants to return to being a respected club. But this revolution has eaten its own children. Before Rashford, Jadon Sancho had experienced it when he clashed with Erik ten Hag.

The lack of playing time is said to be the reason for the breakdown in the relationship between Ten Hag and Sancho. In addition, Sancho was furious after Ten Hag made him the scapegoat for MU's poor performance. Sancho denied Ten Hag's accusations via his social media account. Since then, Ten Hag and Sancho's relationship has never been the same.

Rashford and Sancho have to accept the bitter reality, being eliminated from one of the biggest clubs in the world. Their existence is considered to be no longer in line with the club's revolutionary spirit.

Specifically for Rashford, Amorim's action in crossing him out was in line with the wishes of MU's top brass. This is not the first time Rashford has been involved in disciplinary issues. In the Ten Hag era, he was in the spotlight after being at a nightclub in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Rashford was caught partying for two nights in a row and was absent from the morning training session.

Amorim took decisive action this time. There was no second chance for Rashford. He was officially crushed by the wheels of the MU revolution. No one knows for sure whether Rashford will be the last player to fall victim to the revolution, or if someone will follow later. (REUTERS)