So Marcus Rashford has taken responsibility for his actions has he?
The Man United striker who has been woefully out of form during the entire 2023/24 campaign – just four goals all season according to WhoScored – decided it would be a good idea to test Erik ten Hag’s patience last week.
Let’s be clear. The England international knew exactly what he was doing.
A day on the beers and spirits was always going to render him useless for training and, once the full details of his misdemeanours emerged – The Sun have pictures of him on a 12 hour bender – being dropped from the squad for the Newport game was always going to be the outcome.
After Jadon Sancho had ensured that United’s good name was dragged through the mud for the first half of the season, Rashford has appeared to take on the mantle in the new year.
Call it insolence, stupidity or just a player rebelling against an authoritarian regime… none of that really matters.
What does matter is that Marcus Rashford is a 26-year-old footballing superstar that’s playing for one of the most storied clubs in the world. As such, there’s a code of conduct in place both on and off the pitch.
Every player is allowed their free time and the chance to let their hair down of course, but that’s not mid-way through an important season in which the entire team needs to pull together.