Manchester United legend Gary Neville has criticized Red Devils duo Marcus Rashford and Casemiro for jetting off to the United States during the international break. According to Neville, they should have taken this opportunity to work on themselves and be in the best possible shape for Ruben Amorim’s managerial debut.
Ruben Amorim To Begin Manchester United This Weekend
Following a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season, which saw them slip to 14th place in the Premier League rankings, Manchester United dismissed Erik ten Hag from his role as manager. Ten Hag’s assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy did an excellent job during his interim run, taking the club to three wins and a draw in all competitions. In the Premier League, United drew one and won the other, climbing to 13th place in the rankings.
This week, new permanent manager Amorim will begin his reign, kicking off with a clash against Ipswich Town on Sunday, November 24. Ahead of such an important game, two Man Utd players, Rashford and Casemiro took a trip to the United States, skipping international duty for it.
Rashford attended the NBA match between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets at the Madison Square Garden on Monday, November 18. Casemiro, meanwhile, went to Disney World Orlando for a family vacation.
Gary Neville Questions Marcus Rashford and Casemiro’s US Decision
Speaking on Stick to Football, ex-United ace Neville criticized the pair for taking such a long flight to the States ahead of Amorim’s debut.
“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 began (via Sky Sports).
“He [Marcus Rashford] 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?”
He added:
“This is on Casemiro more than Rashford but if I’m [over] 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.
“I’m not that wound up about [Marcus] 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].”
Neville concluded by adding:
“They went to Portland and I’m asking the question based on professionalism – you’re playing badly, the team are losing, you’re 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.”
Amorim will make his Old Trafford debut in the UEFA Europa League clash with Bodo/Glimt on November 28.
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