Alan Shearer did not see eye to eye with Gary Lineker over Marcus Rashford after the Manchester United star was heavily criticised for partying following the Manchester derby.
United suffered a 3-0 Premier League defeat to crosstown rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford last month, with Rashford starting the contest for Erik ten Hag’s men.
However, Rashford caused controversy after it emerged that he attended a nightclub as part of a pre-arranged birthday party only hours after United’s defeat.
United manager Ten Hag last week spoke out on Rashford’s decision and revealed that the Red Devils star had apologised to him over his “unacceptable” actions.
“I am aware of it and I spoke with him about it,” he said ahead of United’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
“It is unacceptable. I told him. He apologised and that is it.”
Rashford, who recently hit out at ‘malicious rumours’ about his future, was absent from the United squad for Saturday’s win against Fulham due to an injury.
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Lineker’s reaction to Rashford’s night out
Rashford has faced mounting pressure over his run of form for United, with the England star scoring only once in 10 Premier League appearances this season.
The 26-year-old United forward was in the form of his life last season and inked a new long-term deal with his boyhood club last summer.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast (via the Manchester Evening News), Lineker claimed that Rashford’s post-derby behaviour was “not a big deal,” with Shearer shaking his head in disagreement.
“Marcus Rashford was ticked off for going on a night out for his birthday celebrations following the defeat against Manchester City, and that was deemed unacceptable I think [in] the words of Erik ten Hag,” he said.
“It’s just another thing, it’s not a big deal. If you’ve got a birthday and it’s after the game and you have it all planned, I mean footballers are human beings, you don’t know whether you are going to win that game or not.
“You are shaking your head, Alan, you think Rashford’s wrong and out of order?”
Shearer’s response to Lineker’s stance on Rashford
Responding to Lineker, Match of the Day pundit Shearer was in complete disagreement over Rashford’s decision to head out after United’s defeat to City.
The 53-year-old Newcastle legend insisted that it was “daft” and “stupid” for Rashford, irrespective of the party being pre-arranged.
“I don’t care if it’s your birthday on a Saturday night,” Shearer said.
“If you have been dumped 3-0 and it’s a terrible performance, you have got to read the room.
“The number of times that happened to me and to say we had a dinner planned or this planned.
“We’ve been beaten on a Saturday night and I said, I can’t go out.
“You can’t go into a town, into a nightclub on the night you have just been beaten 3-0 [by] your neighbours — you can’t do it. It was daft and it was stupid for Marcus to do that, whether it is your birthday or not.”
Shearer added: “You can’t go out after you have been battered. Dinner is different.
“If you are going out into a restaurant, that’s an excuse to say I’m going out with the missus or whoever it may be.
“But going into a nightclub you can’t do that when you have been beaten 3-0 by your neighbours. It’s a no-no, cancel!”
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