Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has been told Sir Alex Ferguson “would have given him a dressing down” after his nightclub visits.
The United attacker is embroiled in a scandal following a 12-hour tequila-fueled night out in Northern Ireland, which prompted him to miss his FA Cup fourth-round match against Newport. This is not the first time Rashford has faced criticism for his wild lifestyle; he was previously seen partying in the aftermath of a derby loss against Manchester City in October 2023.
WHAT NEVILLE SAID
Neville, speaking on BBC Breakfast, warned Rashford that Ferguson would have come down heavily on the forward for the breach of discipline. He said: “Your timing has to be right. He [Sir Alex Ferguson] would have given him a dressing down, but he would have said similar things, make sure you do it at the right moments, nobody ever says to a football player you can’t go out.
“But when you have a game three days later and Marcus knows himself, he’s an experienced player now and he’s done this a few times. I’ve always seen him as being really responsible, professional and someone who works hard every day. He’s going through a dip in form right now, but this has happened once or twice and it can become your personality if you’re not careful.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Neville advised Rashford to choose his timing more carefully, as his reputation is now at stake after flouting the law on multiple occasions.
“For me, going out for a drink or a night out is something every football player should and will do, so I’ve got absolutely no problem with that. They need to enjoy themselves,” he said.
“But it’s all about choices and timing and I said this after the Manchester City game at home. We got beat at home against City and he went out that night to Chinawhite, I think it was his birthday. Then they had a game against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup after that and I just said ‘Look, choose your time’. United had just had a winter break and a few weeks off, so that was a better moment for him to go out.
“If you do it too many times, people wonder what is going on in your life, so he just needs to relax, calm down, choose when to go out and get back to playing football at the levels he can.”
WHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?
Rashford will reportedly be re-integrated into the squad by Erik ten Hag for United’s next fixture against Wolves on Thursday in the Premier League. He is already back in training and will be determined to make amends for his mistake by inspiring United to the three points at the Molineux.
