-Credit:Martin Rickett/PA Wire
Newly-appointed West Ham manager Graham Potter has responded to the speculation linking the club to Marcus Rashford amid continued discussion over his Manchester United future.
Rashford has admitted that he would be open to a “new challenge” away from Old Trafford, having been limited in regular game-time under Ruben Amorim. Rashford hasn’t played for the Reds since their 2-1 victory against Viktoria Plzen on December 12 – and he was also omitted from their Manchester derby squad.
A number of clubs have been linked with a swoop for the England international since the January transfer window opened in the New Year. Given uncertainty over his future, Rashford is likely to leave Old Trafford and talks with AC Milan and Juventus have already taken place.
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While West Ham have also been credited with an interest, their new head coach Potter has remained tight-lipped. “Well, I used to say this 20-odd months ago [when he was last in management], I only comment on players that are West Ham players,” he told reporters on Friday.
“And all the speculation, I know from my own experience, sometimes things that are written in the newspapers aren’t exactly true, and you can get yourself in all sorts of knots, confirming or denying everything. So it’s best to just speak about players that are West Ham players.”
In a bombshell interview with journalist Henry Winter, Rashford said: “For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps,” Rashford, who has been at the club for almost 20 years, told Winter during a visit to his former primary school: “When I leave it’s going to be no hard feelings. If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person.
“When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.”
He went on: “It’s disheartening to be left out of a derby but it’s happened, we won the game so let’s move on. It’s disappointing, but I’m also someone as I’ve got older I can deal with set-backs. What am I going to do about it? Sit there and cry about it. Or do my best the next time I’m available.”
United head coach Amorim, on the other hand, admitted it being a “hard situation” for the striker. “I understand these players have a lot of people around them, making choices that are not the first idea from the player. They chose to do the interview as it is not just Marcus,” he said.