Marcus Rashford has been conspicuously absent from Manchester United’s squad for their final Europa League group stage match against FCSB in Romania.
This marks the 11th consecutive game across all competitions that the 27-year-old forward has been excluded from the team, raising further questions about his future at Old Trafford.
Rashford’s last appearance was as a substitute in a match against Newcastle, a game he was only involved in due to a shortage of available players.
Prior to that, he was notably left out of the squad for the Manchester derby against City due to what manager Ruben Amorim termed “selection purposes.” Following that omission, Rashford publicly stated he was “ready for a new challenge,” fueling speculation about a potential transfer.
Despite training with the squad at Carrington on Wednesday morning, Rashford did not travel with the team to Romania.
Amorim, speaking after United’s weekend victory over Fulham, reiterated his stance on player selection.
He emphasized that he prioritizes players who demonstrate maximum effort and commitment in training, even stating he would prefer to field 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital over a player who doesn’t meet his training standards.
When specifically asked about Rashford’s continued absence, Amorim said, “It’s the same, it’s always the same reason. The reason is the training, the way I see what footballers should do in training, in life, it’s every day, every detail.” He added, “So if things don’t change, I will not change. It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player.”
Adding to United’s injury concerns, Luke Shaw, who has been sidelined for nearly two months, also trained with the team on Wednesday but was not included in the traveling squad.
Shaw has made only three substitute appearances this season and his return to action is being carefully managed.
Manchester United’s confirmed 21-man squad for the FCSB match includes: Bayindir, Heaton, Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Lindelöf, Maguire, Malacia, Martínez, Mazraoui, Yoro; Casemiro, Ugarte, Collyer, Eriksen, Fernandes, Mainoo; Amad, Garnacho, Højlund, and Zirkzee.
