Sky Sports Pundits Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp have assessed Marcus Rashford's current situation at Man Utd, after the striker was again left out of Ruben Amorim's squad to face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.
It was the second game in a row that the 27-year-old has not featured in, having missed Sunday's 2-1 Manchester derby win at the Etihad Stadium.
Rashford's exclusion from the squad comes after Rashford admitted he was “ready for a new challenge” in an interview with journalist Henry Winter.
Neville, Carragher and Redknapp discussed the situation live Sky Sports on Thursday night – here's what they said…
Neville: I imagine it gets pretty tough behind the scenes
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Gary Neville reacts to Marcus Rashford's interview saying he wants to leave Manchester United and his absence from their squad against Tottenham
Gary Neville:
“Maybe the emotions of the last few months have tried to make me think that this could all work itself out, because I don't think academy players who have a great talent like Marcus Rashford should ever leave the club.
“It's one of those things where you want to see players who have been there since they were eight stay there forever. But in the last few days it's come to a point where maybe it's best for both parties to end it – and maybe it will end pretty quickly if it goes this way.
“Who knows? It could resolve itself. Ruben Amorim is saying the right things, but I guess it's getting pretty tough behind the scenes now.
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Gary Lineker has discussed Marcus Rashford's future at Man United with Sky Sports News, stating that sometimes parting ways are necessary, although he is unsure if that time has come
“This is two times he has not been in the team now. He is one of Manchester United's stars and has been for several years. Actions speak louder than words. While Amorim says there is a future, he is also not in the team, so things do not they are doing very well.
“It's sad because United had an incredible win on Sunday and yet they grabbed a loss from a win because for a few days afterwards it's only about this and not the fact that Ruben Amorim had a sensational win under his belt.”
Carragher: The interview put Man Utd in a bad negotiating position
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Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher discuss Marcus Rashford's decision to make a statement about his future at Manchester United
Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:
“I feel like I've been talking about Marcus Rashford for the last week, and I've said it before, he's not that good a player for as long as we've been talking about him. Wayne Rooney was, David Beckham was, Cristiano Ronaldo was.
“I'm not in favor of any player going out and being critical of the club, but for Rashford to do that, to go out without the club knowing about it and just announce that he's basically put in a transfer request or wants to leave the club, which leaves the club in a really bad position in terms of negotiating his exit at some stage.
“If he really believes he wants to still be a Manchester United player and still wants to have a great career, don't come out with a statement like that. Keep your mouth shut, fight and hope you get a little chance.
“People keep talking about 30 goals, which is a really big number. It's out of this world. Now we look at some players, they have better numbers than that, and he's at Manchester United, a top team that dominates a lot of games.
“Manchester United should have a player every season who scores 30 goals. If he's going to play 55 to 60 games, if you have a player who can't score 30 goals, he probably shouldn't be at Manchester United.”
Redknapp: Rashford did Amorim a favor by showing his cards early
Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp:
“In a way, he did Amorim a favour. He showed him his cards very early on, which doesn't always help from a negotiating point of view, because if Marcus Rashford does leave, the fact that he wants to leave doesn't help when you want to bring money in.
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Marcus Rashford revealed to journalist Henry Winter when asked about his future at Man Utd that he is 'ready for a new challenge and the next steps'.
“I don't think Amorim came with preconceived ideas. Rashford started against Ipswich in his first game, scored a goal and a few people were saying 'well, maybe he can be a Manchester United number 9'.
“But what Amorim is known for, and we're not, is seeing him every day, seeing him train, seeing how he lives his life, seeing how he behaves in and around the locker room, seeing what kind of role model he is. players – and he clearly doesn't think he's the right person he wants around.
“You don't leave a big player you want in your derby team. That's just not what you do. You want to have every good player with you. If he doesn't buy what Ruben Amorim wants, he's surplus to requirements, probably best for Marcus be now, said he, to go.
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Teddy Draper is joined by journalist Henry Winter and the Daily Mail's Riath Al-Samarrai to discuss the clubs Marcus Rashford could sign for after the Manchester United star dropped transfer hints
“Does that mean he can't stay? Of course he can. Did Wayne Rooney hand in a transfer request in 2010 and 48 hours later he signed a new contract. He's not playing at Wayne Rooney's level, of course, but things can always change , but Marcus has to change because he sure has talent.
“Form is one thing. Anyone can have bad spells but I think what would be worrying for the club would be his attitude on the pitch. We saw that last year when he just wasn't running and that's my biggest fear for him .
“Somehow, he has to fall back in love with football. You have to love the game. You're incredibly lucky to be playing at this level. It's actually a sad situation to see because there's no doubt he's got talent, but somehow he's had to fall back in love with the game and enjoy her because at the moment it looks like she's playing football under duress.”