Amorim’s United Reign at Risk as Rashford Feud Reaches Breaking Point

Photograph: Dave Thompson/AP

Rúben Amorim’s Manchester United reign is teetering on the brink of crisis as his fractured relationship with Marcus Rashford escalates into a full-blown stalemate. The pair haven’t spoken privately since mid-December, The Guardian reports, with Rashford now training in isolation and edging towards an Old Trafford exit.

For a manager who vowed to restore standards, Amorim’s brutal honesty has laid bare Rashford’s alarming slide. The England forward, once United’s poster boy, hasn’t featured in six matchday squads and was told bluntly: “If things don’t change, I will not change”. Amorim’s jab about preferring his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital to Rashford on the bench sums up the Portuguese coach’s zero-tolerance stance.

Rashford’s camp insists he’s training hard, but Amorim isn’t convinced. The 27-year-old’s £325,000-a-week wages have stalled loan talks with Barcelona and AC Milan, leaving him stranded. Privately, United legends like Paul Scholes have slammed his “unforgivable” attitude, accusing him of setting a toxic example for youngsters like Alejandro Garnacho.

You wonder if bridges can be rebuilt. Rashford’s public “new challenge” plea in December backfired spectacularly, and Amorim’s rigid principles leave little room for compromise. With United’s attack sputtering Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee have five league goals combined the stalemate feels increasingly self-defeating.

For United’s sake, this alarming impasse needs resolution fast. Amorim’s rebuild hinges on culture shifts, but alienating a homegrown star risks fracturing the dressing room further. As the clock ticks towards Thursday’s transfer deadline, Rashford’s career-defining choice looms: adapt or leave. Either way, the clock’s run out on second chances.