\n<\/p>\n
In public, Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim tried to counter the view that he wanted to jettison Rashford.<\/p>\n
But United insiders believe the former Sporting boss felt it would be better for everyone if the forward was no longer around.<\/p>\n
Even towards the back end of last week, there was still hopeful talk of a resolution on Rashford’s part. Now the reality is sinking in. Amorim has got his way.<\/p>\n
What has been very difficult to pinpoint, even though Amorim has given some frank interviews, is the detailed reasoning why the coach was so willing to let him leave.<\/p>\n
It was all sparked when Amorim dropped Rashford for the Manchester derby on 15 December.<\/p>\n
Three days earlier, the forward had been substituted 11 minutes into the second half of what looked like being an embarrassing Europa League defeat by Czech side Viktoria Plzen.<\/p>\n
Rasmus Hojlund came on to replace him and scored two goals to turn the match into a 2-1 win.<\/p>\n
Rashford his been omitted from 11 of 12 squads since.<\/p>\n
The one time he did make a squad – the 2-0 home Premier League defeat by Newcastle on 30 December – he was left on the bench. Afterwards, Amorim was asked why.<\/p>\n
When he had to address the subject again before Thursday’s Europa League win over Romanian side FCSB, Amorim seemed as if he was starting to get irritated.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt he has used the Rashford situation as a test of his strength. Sir Alex Ferguson, an illustrious predecessor, may well have approved.<\/p>\n
“If the coach has no control, he will not last,” Ferguson explained in a case study for Harvard Business School, published in the weeks after his retirement in 2013.<\/p>\n
“You have to achieve a position of comprehensive control. Players must recognise that as the manager, you have the status to control events. Before I came to United, I told myself I wasn’t going to allow anyone to be stronger than I was. Your personality has to be bigger than theirs.”<\/p>\n
Amorim’s latest comments on the Rashford saga were not as polished but the sentiment was the same.<\/p>\n
“You [the media] want to make it personal,” said Amorim. “I have nothing against Marcus but I have to make the same rules for everybody.”<\/p>\n
It was more or less the same message Amorim delivered at the Etihad Stadium in dropping Rashford and forward Alejandro Garnacho for the Manchester derby win over City.<\/p>\n
In various forms, it has been repeated at least half a dozen times in the interim.<\/p>\n
“It’s important, the performance in training, the performance in the games, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with your team-mates, the way you push your team-mates, everything is important in the context of beginning something, when we want to change a lot of things,” Amorim outlined. <\/p>\n
“It’s the small details. When people in our club are losing their jobs, we have to put the standards really high.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n