Sir Alex Ferguson has 'told' Ruben Amorim what he must do with Marcus Rashford as worrying report published

Sir Alex Ferguson has already told Ruben Amorim how to deal with the ongoing Marcus Rashford situation.

Rashford was omitted from four consecutive matchday squads in recent weeks by Amorim, who has taken issue with the performance level displayed by the 27-year-old in training.

The England international was again absent from the travelling party for the 2-0 Boxing Day defeat to Wolves.

Rashford's situation does not appear to have changed after Amorim gave a damning reply when asked if he has "been showing anything different" following the loss to Wolves at Molineux.

"If he's not here, you can make up your mind," Amorim responded when asked by a reporter for Amazon Prime Video.

Rashford has been heavily linked with an exit from United as doubts over his future continue to grow. In a recent bombshell report, respected reporter Andy Mitten claimed that "every previous Man United manager" encountered problems with Rashford during their tenure.

But Amorim's approach would appear to be in line with the one adopted United's legendary manager Ferguson, who was known as serious disciplinarian.

What Sir Alex Ferguson said about the player-manager dynamic

The 13-time Premier League butted heads with the likes of Roy Keane, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney over the years but was adamant that the manager had to be more important than any other player.

Speaking in an interview with Harvard Business Review as part of a leaderships study, Ferguson said: "If the day came that the manager of Manchester United was controlled by the players—in other words, if the players decided how the training should be, what days they should have off, what the discipline should be, and what the tactics should be—then Manchester United would not be the Manchester United we know. 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. That is vital.

"There are occasions when you have to ask yourself whether certain players are affecting the dressing-room atmosphere, the performance of the team, and your control of the players and staff. If they are, you have to cut the cord. There is absolutely no other way. It doesn’t matter if the person is the best player in the world. The long-term view of the club is more important than any individual, and the manager has to be the most important one in the club.

"Some English clubs have changed managers so many times that it creates power for the players in the dressing room. That is very dangerous. If the coach has no control, he will not last. You have to achieve a position of comprehensive control. Players must recognise that as the manager, you have the status to control events. You can complicate your life in many ways by asking, 'Oh, I wonder if the players like me?' If I did my job well, the players would respect me, and that’s all you need.

"I tended to act quickly when I saw a player become a negative influence. Some might say I acted impulsively, but I think it was critical that I made up my mind quickly. Why should I have gone to bed with doubts? I would wake up the next day and take the necessary steps to maintain discipline. It’s important to have confidence in yourself to make a decision and to move on once you have. It’s not about looking for adversity or for opportunities to prove power; it’s about having control and being authoritative when issues do arise."

Sir Alex Ferguson was a master in discipline. Image: Getty

After suffering an eighth loss of the season last time out, United are 14th in the Premier League table on 22 points. They now face a seventh-placed Newcastle side who will climb above Bournemouth and Manchester City into fifth position with a victory at Old Trafford.