Marcus Rashford out of Man Utd squad for Newport clash as Erik ten Hag promises to deal with ‘internal matter’

MARCUS RASHFORD has been dropped from Manchester United's squad for their visit to Newport this afternoon.

The news comes after Rashford missed a training session on Friday following a night out partying at a Belfast nightclub on Thursday.

United have released a statement confirming that the forward will be absent from the squad due to illness.

It reads: "Marcus Rashford not well enough to be in the squad for Newport following illness; he has stayed at Carrington to train as he recovers."

When asked about his decision to drop Rashford from the squad for tonight's game, manager Erik ten Hag simply said "It's an internal matter".

When pressed further on the issue, he said: "I will deal with it."

Ten Hag's decision to drop the forward comes after Rashford failed to report for training on Friday due to illness, despite being spotted in Belfast's Thompsons Garage nightclub a day earlier.

Rashford was in Northern Ireland as part of a club-sanctioned day off on Wednesday to visit friend and former academy team-mate Ro-Shaun Williams, who plays for Larne FC

The striker was then seen in Thompsons nightclub on Thursday and flew home by private jet the following morning.

It is not the first time ten Hag has fallen out with Rashford this season.

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The manager slammed Rashford’s night out after his side were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City in a derby - making it clear there was a time and a place for his squad to party.

The Dutch boss said at the time: “I spoke with him about it. It’s unacceptable. He apologised and that is it.

"For us it’s an internal matter. He’s very motivated to put things right. He’s totally with us.

“He has made a mistake but that doesn’t say he’s not fitting in. I see him every day in training, what he’s doing, I know.”

Ten Hag also unexpectedly disciplined Rashford last season when his United team were flying high.

Despite Rashford being in electric form at the time, he was dropped for the December 2022 visit to Wolves after oversleeping and missing a team meeting.

Rashford came off the bench to score in that game.

But he will not be afforded the chance to repeat that trick against Newport, as he has been omitted from the squad entirely.

This particular incident will have echoes of how Ten Hag managed the dropping of Jadon Sancho earlier this season, which led to his exile from the squad.

Sancho complained that he had been treated like a "scapegoat" for the club's poor form and eventually escaped Manchester to join Borussia Dortmund in January.

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