Marcus Rashford hits out at ‘false’ media criticisms

Marcus Rashford has hit out at what he claims are ‘false’ media reports of his actions

At one point Rashford appeared tipped for a future captaincy role at Manchester United (Getty Images)

Marcus Rashford has hit out after recent media coverage of the striker has called into question some of his transgressions.

Off the field, he has been in the headlines twice for two nights out, one at Chinawhites in Manchester, and one in Belfast. It was the latter which led to a Carrington disciplinary meeting and he was subsequently left out of the squad for the FA Cup clash against Newport.

“The stuff that gets written about me, 90 percent of it is false. The most recent thing in the media was more of that. To me it’s not new. To my family it winds them up a little bit,” Rashford told The Players Tribune.

“They want the publicity, they want the attraction.

“The recent stories I see about me, there’s one or two facts about the situation and the rest someone’s just gone off on their own and continued to guess what a night out or a day with me would look like.”

At one time, Rashford might well have been considered for the club captaincy given that he is approaching almost 400 matches for Manchester United, but that leadership role looks further away than ever.

This season, at times his on-field performances have been a far cry from what he is capable of. He has scored just 6 goals this season, and one of those came for England, while last campaign he netted 30 times in all competitions.

Marcus Rashford has not performed to his previous high standards in recent matches (REUTERS)

However, it is the questioning of his commitment to the club that seems to have proved to be a sticking point for the striker.

“Listen, I’m not a perfect person. When I make a mistake, I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say that I need to do better,” Rashford said.

“But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that’s when I have to speak up. It’s like somebody questioning my entire identity, and everything I stand for as a man. I grew up here.

“I have played for this club since I was a boy. My family turned down life-changing money when I was a kid so I could wear this badge.”

Rashford has looked short of self-belief in recent matches, and has been widely criticised by pundits including Jamie Carragher and Alan Shearer.

The striker himself said: “I can take any criticism. I can take any headline. From podcasts, social media and the papers. I can take it.

“But if you start questioning my commitment to this club and my love for football and bringing my family into it, then I’d simply ask you to have a bit more humanity.”