Where does Marcus Rashford's future lie? This is a question that has been asked more and more frequently about the Manchester United striker in recent months.
And after being left out of the squad by manager Ruben Amorim for the dramatic derby against Manchester City, the 27-year-old's future is once again in doubt.
The Portuguese tactician tried to play down the decision to leave Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of the squad by saying "next week, next game, new life" and stressed: "They will compete for a place in the squad if they play better than the others in every situation, both on and off the pitch."
Amorim’s message is clear: to be a starter, a player must deliver on and off the pitch. But while Garnacho’s absence was a surprise, Rashford’s omission is not entirely without reason.
The England striker has been at the centre of a number of disciplinary issues under Erik ten Hag, including being dropped for falling asleep before a game against Wolves in December 2022. Rashford was also left out of the squad for last season's FA Cup tie against Newport County after missing training after a night out in Belfast.
Amorim also hinted at his displeasure with Rashford and Casemiro travelling to the United States during the recent international break, and the former Sporting boss believes things would have been handled differently if he had been in charge of deciding how to handle players during their time away from the club.
Overall, Rashford's career at Old Trafford has been on the decline due to his loose lifestyle and lack of discipline. On the pitch, his unconvincing performance for the "Red Devils" has also cost him a place at EURO 2024 with the "Three Lions".
Rashford has scored seven goals in 24 appearances in all competitions this season, after only contributing eight goals in 43 games last term. With a four-and-a-half-year contract worth £325,000 a week signed in July 2023, finding a new home will not be easy for the striker.
The reality is that Rashford has two options: fight to regain his form and support at Man United, or move to a new league, possibly Saudi Arabia. And either way, if he fails to impress Amorim, Rashford’s future will only get darker.
