Ruben Amorim has left Marcus Rashford out of the squad for 11 consecutive games. The England striker last played for Man United in the 2-1 win over Man City.
After Man United's 1-0 win over Fulham last weekend, Amorim said he would rather put 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital on the bench than Rashford because he had yet to see the player's effort and desire to give his all.
“With Man United, you look at the team and the profile of the players. With a player like Rashford, our team will be much better with him in the team. But he has to change. If he changes, we are absolutely happy and ready to play him.
At this point, I think we really need to set some standards. We are waiting for Marcus to change, if he really wants to. I have no problem with Rashford, it is not personal, I just apply the same rules to everyone,” said Ruben Amorim.
Rashford continues to be linked with a move away from Old Trafford, with ESPN reporting last week that his agent has held direct talks with Barcelona about a possible move away from United before the 2024-25 transfer window closes.
Rashford has been left out of the squad for United's trip to FCSB in what will be United's final group stage match in the Europa League this season.
If they win 3 points, Man United will be in the Top 8 and get a ticket to the round of 16. They will not need to play 2 play-off matches.
FCSB, who are second in the Romanian top flight, are unbeaten in their last four Europa League games, beating Midtjylland and Qarabag while drawing goalless with Olympiacos and Hoffenheim.
Man United have won four consecutive Europa League games, beating PAOK, Bodo/Glimt, Viktoria Plzen and Rangers. Another win would see Man United equal the record of five consecutive wins set in the 2022-23 group stage.
Statistics show that FCSB have lost their last 7 matches against English teams, scoring 2 goals but conceding 20. Meanwhile, Man United have won 5/6 of their last matches against Romanian teams in all competitions.
Bruno Fernandes became the second player to score 10+ goals in the Europa League for Man United, netting against Rangers. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford has scored 14 goals in this competition.
The FCSB vs Man United match will take place at 3:00 a.m. on January 31.
