Marcus Rashford has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons once again over the last couple of days, with the forward missing Manchester United's FA Cup victory over Newport County after the fallout from his trip to Belfast earlier this week.
The 26-year old was absent from first team training on Friday morning, with the club saying at the time the player was ill. However, it soon emerged that Rashford had been in a Belfast nightclub in the late hours of Thursday night.
While the trip to Northern Ireland had been sanctioned by the club, they reportedly thought he had returned earlier on Thursday.
The England international was subsequently left out of this afternoon's game, with manager Erik ten Hag saying the absence came down to an internal matter.
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Alan shearer has harsh words for Alan Shearer after Belfast incident
This is not the first occasion that Marcus Rashford has been criticised for going on a night out, with Erik ten Hag saying the player's attendance at a Manchester nightclub soon after a 3-0 loss to Manchester City was 'unacceptable'. Of course, these issues have also coincided with a serious dip in the player's form in recent months.
With the player now entering what should be his prime years, there are serious concerns that his career is getting away from him.
Speaking on the BBC, Alan Shearer sent a stern warning to Marcus Rashford about changing his ways after this latest incident in Belfast.
What's going on with Marcus Rashford at Manchester United?
"He can't keep doing this, he can't waste his talent."#BBCFootball #BBCFACup pic.twitter.com/i9BmzBIHJJ— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 28, 2024
There's a huge talent in there with Marcus Rashford. We saw him be disciplined last season he was late for a meeting, he actually missed a game.
But something is clearly wrong either a home, or his relationship with the football club. He can't keep doing this, he can't keep wasting his talent. It's not right.
He needs strong management, someone to get hold of him and say 'when you get to the end of your career, you'll have huge regrets'.
You can't have that. You don't need that.
It remains to be seen when Marcus Rashford will return to the Manchester United squad, although as Erik ten Hag showed during the Jadon Sancho situation, he will not be afraid to leave the player out if he feels he is not in the right frame of mind to perform.
This is just the latest incident in what has so far been a long and disappointing season for the club.
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