In a revealing interview, Cristiano Ronaldo overlooked Marcus Rashford when identifying the top three professionals in the Manchester United squad.
Ronaldo departed from Manchester United by mutual consent at the end of 2022, following a candid Talk TV interview where he expressed strong criticism towards the club, its manager Erik ten Hag, and the Glazer family who owns it.
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During the same interview, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner shared insights into the personalities of his teammates and outlined the top three professionals at United during his second stint with the club.
Asked about which players he admired, Ronaldo said: “In Manchester United, I can mention [Diogo] Dalot. He’s young but very professional and I don’t doubt that he’s going to have longevity in football because he’s young, smart, intelligent and very professional.
“Probably [Lisandro] Martinez, Casemiro is in his 30s, but I will say Dalot.”
At that moment, observers noted Ronaldo’s omission of United’s key player, Rashford, when discussing the top professionals at the club.
This historical oversight gains significance as Rashford currently seems to be facing disapproval from Ten Hag.
Following United’s 4-2 FA Cup triumph at Newport County on Sunday, Ten Hag pledged to address Rashford’s absence. The English star reportedly called in sick on Friday, following a night out at a Belfast nightclub.
“He reported ill,” Ten Hag insisted after watching his side’s FA Cup victory. “The rest is an internal matter. I deal with it, we will deal with it.”
Should Rashford be facing consequences for a disciplinary matter, it would mark the second instance in a little over a year where he has been excluded for such reasons.
The forward was omitted from United’s starting lineup against Wolves in December 2022 due to his tardiness to a team meeting.
Earlier in the current season, Rashford had to issue an apology to Ten Hag for hosting a birthday party shortly after United’s 3-0 defeat to local rivals Manchester City.
“It is unacceptable,” Ten Hag said at the time. “I told him, he apologised and that is it.”
