Gary Neville has questioned Marcus Rashford and Casemiro’s professionalism after the Manchester United duo enjoyed some downtime in the United States during the international break.
Rashford was once again not selected by Lee Carsley for England’s final Nation League matches. This saw Rashford instead travel to New York City to watch an NBA game instead.
Marcus Rashford enjoyed some time off at the Nets vs Knicks basketball game in New York yesterday 🏀 pic.twitter.com/JS9j8USOrK
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 16, 2024
Meanwhile, Rashford’s United teammate Casemiro also jetted to the States to enjoy some time away from football.
The Brazilian midfielder travelled to Orlando with his family and paid a visit to Disney World. Casemiro posted on Instagram: “Awesome few days in Orlando with family and friends, will be back soon!!! Thank you, Orlando, US!!”
Gary Neville Takes Aim At ‘Unprofessional’ Marcus Rashford and Casemiro
Gary Neville has taken issue with the timing of the trips, claiming that jet lag will be an issue for the duo.
“The professionalism, looking after your body and making sure you’re best prepared for the next training session is critical to every decision you make during the season,” Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast.
“He has got a mental break, he’s got to get away and has got to rest with friends. Then you talk about the choice of venue – how far do you fly? What’s the time difference? Is that going to give a jet lag issue? Is that going to give a stiffness issue from being on a flight for 12 hours?
“This is on Casemiro more than Rashford but if I’m 30 years old and I’m looking after my body – and he’s won five Champions Leagues and is an unbelievable player – but if he was away with Brazil for 10 days, we would say he would struggle this weekend because he’s been away.
“They have chosen that international break. If you are talking about the minor details in being as professional as you can be and as prepared you can be for a training session on a Monday night, that isn’t the best choice of venue.”
Neville added: ‘I’m not that wound up about Rashford and Casemiro going over to the United States. But what I’m asking is, if you’ve got a four-day break, Portland is a 12-hour flight and an eight-hour time difference. Your jet lag is bad, and you feel a bit [rough].
‘They went to Portland, and I’m asking the question based on professionalism – you’re playing badly, the team are losing, your 13th in the league, and there is a new manager coming in – would you choose that trip as a break to recharge your batteries? That’s not a recharging trip. It’s not right that.”
Ruben Amorim’s Arrival Could Spark A Marcus Rashford Revival
Marcus Rashford has struggled to rediscover his best form that saw him become one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League over two seasons ago.
New boss Ruben Amorim will be hoping to get the 27-year-old firing again in front of net.
Rashford scored just seven goals last season and once this campaign. His professionalism was called into question by former boss Erik ten Hag last season when he was caught on a boozy bender in Belfast earlier this year.
But with a fresh start, Amorim will hope that turning Rashford’s fortunes around will spark life back into United.
