Manchester United star Marcus Rashford reportedly went on a 12-hour drinking spree before reporting ill to a team training session.
Rashford allegedly took several shots of tequila during his visit to a nightclub in Belfast on Thursday ahead of Manchester United's FA Cup fourth-round meeting with Newport County on Sunday. He "was on a mission to get drunk", sunk multiple shots of tequila, and collapsed into bed, while fully clothed, around 3 AM, according to allegations made by a waitress, as per a report in The Sun.
Rashford's drinking bender in Belfast
Waitress Sarah Adair claimed she had to put the Manchester United forward to bed, and said: "I'm not surprised he missed training the next day given how late he got to bed and how much he'd had to drink."
"He must've known he wasn't going to be in any fit state to play football. They (Rashford and his entourage) were still drinking tequila and passing around a bottle of Patron and he also ordered a round of limoncello. He was clearly on a mission to get drunk," the waitress added.
Rashford supposedly took a private jet to Manchester on Friday morning but missed the team training. Subsequently, he was dropped from Manchester United's FA Cup clash with Newport County, but the Old Trafford side blamed his exclusion on his "illness".
However, it was earlier reported that Manchester United had decided to punish Rashford, who would be fined around his two weeks' wages worth £650,000.
After Manchester United's 4-2 victory in Newport, head coach Erik ten Hag was shot with many questions regarding Rashford's absence and his supposed nightclub visit. Ten Hag remained tight-lipped about the situation as the Dutchman just said: "It's an internal matter and I will deal with it."
Rashford takes full responsibility, says Man Utd
Manchester United have now released a statement, saying: "Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions. This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed."
🚨 BREAKING: Manchester United statement on Marcus Rashford.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 29, 2024
“Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions”.
“This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed”.
↪️ Rashford, back to training and available for selection. pic.twitter.com/3Qy1jRaWlR
With Rashford having apologised for his actions, Ten Hag is believed to have made the player available for selection ahead of Manchester United's trip to East Midlands to take on Wolves on Thursday.
When Ten Hag first arrived at Manchester United in 2022, the Dutchman had said there was a "no good culture" in Old Trafford.
After the Newport game on Sunday, Ten Hag was asked if Rashford was another example of that "no good culture". The Dutch boss replied: "I don't go in this case. We talked before about it, we played a good game, and now we move on."
This was the second time in just over a year that Rashford was punished for a disciplinary issue. Ten Hag dropped him from Manchester United's starting XI against Wolves on December 31, 2022 after he arrived late to a team meeting, though the star forward went on to score the winner in that match.
Earlier this season, Rashford had to apologise to Ten Hag after having a birthday party just hours after Manchester United lost 3-0 at home to local rivals Manchester City. "It is unacceptable," Ten Hag said at the time. "I told him, he apologised and that is it."
Rashford has netted four goals and provided six assists in 26 matches in all competitions for Manchester United in the ongoing campaign. He was on the score sheet in his side's last two Premier League games.
Manchester United have just one win in their last five outings in the Premier League. They are placed eighth in the league table with 32 points, 16 points behind leaders Liverpool FC.
