Marcus Rashford has been the focus of yet another disciplinary breach at Man Utd; this is the third time the England forward has clashed with Erik ten Hag over transgressions; INEOS want to introduce a culture change at Manchester United, but will Rashford's behaviour fit into it?
Wednesday 31 January 2024 09:47, UK
If the words in Manchester United's statement on Marcus Rashford, released late on Monday night, sounded familiar, it is not a trick of the mind.
Two months ago, when the England international partied at Chinawhite nightclub after the derby undressing against Manchester City, Erik ten Hag said "he apologised and that is it. It is an internal matter".
The location and context has changed - Rashford reporting himself ill for training last Friday after going out in Belfast the previous two nights - but the protagonist and United's communication remains the same.
"Marcus has taken responsibility for his actions," read the club's statement. "This has been dealt with as an internal disciplinary matter, which is now closed."
Rashford has to ensure it is indeed shut - and not just for a matter of weeks. It is the third time the 26-year-old has been caught transgressing under Ten Hag, the first of which was arriving late for a team meeting.
That seemed innocuous, but his actions since have sparked concerns - even before the tequila-filled details of Thursday emerged from an alleged eyewitness account.
It's not solely Rashford's focus that is in question, but a harsher spotlight is now on the continuous off-field issues at United.
It was during September, in the immediate aftermath of Jadon Sancho's social media offensive against being a "scapegoat", that warnings of misbehaviour from other members of the squad began to circulate.
Several privy to the winger's anger at being singled out, isolated, and effectively cancelled at the club before rejoining Borussia Dortmund on loan, insisted there were players flouting Ten Hag's standards at Carrington and beyond.
When Rashford was celebrating at Chinawhite in the early morning despite needing to report to training at the end of October, it was flagged as an example.
However, the incident was brushed aside as a one-off by people close to the forward; it was simply a pre-arranged birthday party.
Ten Hag had also insisted Rashford was "very motivated to put things right. I know how much effort he is putting in. He makes a mistake but that doesn't say he is not fitting in.
"He is totally with us. He makes one mistake but also off the pitch what he is doing, how he lives, I am sure he is doing everything right to help the team and to perform and let us win."
Managers do not take well to having their authority undermined, being misled, and let down after publicly standing up for a player.
Rashford's repeated eroding of the standards and rules set under the Dutchman is set to send him on a collision course with Ten Hag, but he is also at high risk of clashing with the "clean culture" INEOS aim to implement under their sporting control.
As Sky Sports revealed in December, Sir Jim Ratcliffe will implement a more ruthless approach to United's process over player contracts in a bid to prioritise the right ethos and recruitment strategy over business interests.
United want to be more "culture-focused" in their decision-making and have noted Arsenal as an example where cutting ties with players instead of trying to hold out for a fee can help reshape a squad and develop an environment of healthy habits and success.
Sir Dave Brailsford, on United's board and still wading through an audit of the club's football operations, addressed the squad on Monday. He talked them through the INEOS plan of creating an "ecosystem of excellence" and how that can only be achieved through total investment from the players, collaborative effort and discipline.
That speech came amid Rashford and his brother/agent Dwaine Maynard meeting with Ten Hag and football director John Murtough, to get a handle on the striker's behaviour.
Rashford means more than most to United, and they have been doing the most to crack the conundrum of what is going on with him. Some at the club feel he just needs a reconfiguring, to be honest with himself about what is truly important and of value to him.
It is interesting to remember what Rashford himself has said about performance less than a year ago. "Football is probably 95 per cent your mentality. That gives you the baseline to perform. There are a lot of players that have ability - that's why they play at the top level. But what sets them apart is the mentality. I've been on both sides of it.
"I understand the strength of it and the value. I'm concentrating a lot more on keeping myself in that headspace and it's needed in order to win games and trophies."
It is unsurprising that United have sharply moved to draw a line under the misdemeanour. The club have been beset with off-pitch drama in various shapes and at levels of seriousness.
They can ill afford to add another high-profile name and situation to the list. The control for that is out of United's hands though and in Rashford's. He has to show the club, his manager, the supporters and INEOS that he can be trusted.
And that is before his performances even enter the equation. Rashford was in the form of his life last season, top-scoring for United with 30 goals following an inconsistent 18-month stretch hampered by residual shoulder pain.
His return reads four so far this term, in a struggling team desperate for his brilliance when the manager's future and direction of the club is uncertain.
It has been emphasised that if Rashford was still prolific, there would be no fuss over what he was getting up to away from training and matches.
The counter to that is a thread Ten Hag has often stated: what happens on the pitch is a direct result of how you're applying yourself off it. "I demand the highest standards in sleep, recovery and nutrition because that makes the difference if you can perform every third or fourth day," the manager has stated.
He also believes that if you do not respect training in the modern era, you cannot master matches.
Rashford has actually agreed with Ten Hag on this. When he was dropped to the bench against Wolves for arriving late to a team meeting, his assessment was as follows: "If I was a coach, I'd have done the same. Because if you don't have standards in the training ground, how do you expect to go out on the pitch and win consistently? It's impossible.
"If you're going to allow each other to slip or have an off day and no one says anything about it … which is at times a position that we've been in.
"And once you're in it it's difficult to get out of it because it becomes normal and I've not seen it at this club before. It was a little bit strange and it's even more strange when you're involved in it [at Wolves]. So it's constant reminders about discipline."
He needs to get his own memos. Rashford will mark eight years in the first team next month. He is in the highest bracket of its earners. Seen as the reference point, it's time to permanently start acting like it again.
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