Alan Shearer has insisted that Marcus Rashford “can’t keep doing this” and “can’t keep wasting his talent” after he missed Manchester United’s latest FA Cup win on Sunday.
Manchester United punched their ticket to the fifth round of the FA Cup after they beat League Two side Newport County 4-2 at the Rodney Parade.
Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo had United 2-0 up in the clash, but Newport County fought back and the scoreline was level early in the second half.
However, United avoided a potential FA Cup scare as both Antony and Rasmus Hojlund added their names to the scoresheet and sealed their side’s win on the night.
Ahead of the fourth-round FA Cup tie against Newport County, United boss Erik ten Hag was quizzed over the absence of Marcus Rashford from the first-team squad.
Shearer on United star Rashford
Marcus Rashford failed to make the trip to the Rodney Parade after it was revealed that he was suffering from an “illness.”
The 26-year-old Manchester United star was not present for the club’s training session on Friday.
According to reports, Rashford was spotted at Belfast nightclubs on Wednesday and Thursday while he visited friend and former United youth player Ro-Shaun Williams.
Speaking on BBC Sport, Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes that the England international needs “strong management” and questioned his behaviour.
“If it’s an internal matter, you’d think something is up,” he said.
“There’s a huge talent in there with Marcus Rashford. We’ve seen him be disciplined last season when he was late to a meeting before a game but something is clearly wrong – either at home or in his relationship with the football club.
“He can’t keep doing this, he can’t keep wasting his talent because it’s not right. He needs strong management, someone to get hold of him and tell him there’ll be huge regrets come the end of his career if he continues doing this.
“You can’t keep doing it, it needs sorting now. Thirty goals last season, four this season.
“When I see him play, it looks like he’s got the world on his shoulders so it needs sorting now because he can’t really deal with it.”
Ten Hag to handle United star Rashford
United on Sunday confirmed in a statement that Rashford had remained at the club’s Carrington training complex after he didn’t make the squad for the FA Cup tie.
“Marcus Rashford not well enough to be in the squad for Newport following illness; he has stayed at Carrington to train as he recovers,” reads the statement.
Ten Hag said that Rashford was “ill” before the FA Cup clash and was asked about the United forward being spotted at Belfast nightclubs last week.
However, the United boss insisted that it was an “internal matter” and he vowed to “deal” with the issue at hand.
“He reported ill yet in the last few hours yesterday,” Ten Hag told BBC Sport.
“It’s an internal matter. I deal with it. It’s an internal matter.”
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