Roy Keane disagreed with former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville after he questioned the professionalism of Marcus Rashford and Casemiro over their actions during the international break.
Earlier this week, Rashford made an eight-hour trip to New York to watch the NBA game between New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.
The 27-year-old forward, who has scored four goals in all competitions this season, could be seen courtside with friends before meeting Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.
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Casemiro, meanwhile, enjoyed a family holiday to Disney World. "Awesome few days in Orlando with family and friends, will be back soon!!!" he wrote on Instagram. "Thank you, Orlando."
Their trips to the United States were a big talking point on the latest episode of Stick To Football, brought to you by Sky Bet, as Gary Neville raised eyebrows over what happened.
“The professionalism, looking after your body and making sure you’re best prepared for the next training session is critical to every decision you make during the season," Neville said.
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"He [Marcus Rashford] has got a mental break, he’s got to get away and has got to rest with friends - then you talk about the choice of venue, how far do you fly, what’s the time difference, is that going to give a jet lag issue, is that going to give a stiffness issue from being on a flight for 12 hours?
“This is on Casemiro more than Rashford but if I’m 30 years old and I’m looking after my body – and he’s won five Champions Leagues and is an unbelievable player, but if he was away with Brazil for 10 days, we would say he would struggle this weekend because he’s been away.
"They [Casemiro and Marcus Rashford] have chosen that international break. If you are talking about the minor details in being as professional as you can be and as prepared you can be for a training session on a Monday night, that isn’t the best choice of venue.”
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Roy Keane, however, defended Rashford and Casemiro over their actions.
He said: “For [Marcus] Rashford and all these lads, going to the United States and going on private jets, whatever they are doing – like basketball, that’s the norm for them. We’re sitting there and going, ‘all the way to the States?’ They [players] would think the States is no big deal.
"We might consider the long flights and the jet lag, but that is their norm. If they were sitting here, they would say, ‘What are you talking about? This is my life and it’s what I do.'"
Ian Wright also gave his take on whether he would have travelled to the US during an international break.
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“If it’s my time off then yes, I’d do it," he said. "Simply, because it’s my time off. If you’re going for three or four days, that jetlag won’t cause you too much of a problem.”
He added: “Casemiro and Marcus Rashford are taking a chance that this [travelling 12 hours to the United States for four days] is going to be criticised if they don’t play well - they are accepting what’s to come. It puts you under pressure but then suddenly you can see how quickly it will change.
"If he [Rashford] doesn’t do well in his first game, and in the next two or three games he scores - nobody cares."
Topics: Gary Neville, Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, Manchester United, Premier League
Jack Kenmare