Marcus Rashford criticised as former Man Utd staff member speaks out on his behaviour

A former Manchester United staff member who spent 18 years at the club has made some interesting claims about Marcus Rashford and what he was like behind the scenes at Old Trafford.

Rod Thornley, who was United's first-team masseur between 2001 and 2019 and worked alongside Rashford towards the end of his almost two-decade-long spell at Old Trafford, believes the forward "became unhappy" at his boyhood club.

After scoring twice on his debut in February 2016, Rashford soon became a first-team regular, starting 18 of their last 19 fixtures in 2015-16.

He has since made over 400 appearances for United but, after failing to see eye-to-eye with Ruben Amorim, who said he could not get the forward to buy into his ideas, the 28-year-old joined Barcelona last summer on a season-long loan.

Asked why he continued to overlook Rashford, Amorim said: "It's the same, it's always the same reason. The reason is the training, the way I see what footballers should do in training, in life, it's every day, every detail."

Rashford struggled for first-team minutes under Ruben Amorim. Image credit: Getty

Rashford's conduct, both on and off the pitch, has been questioned in recent years, and the subject may become a talking point again after Thornley accused the forward of throwing away his United career.

Speaking on The Busby Way Podcast this week, Thorney did not hold back.

“I’ll say it, I don’t mind, I know Marcus, and if he’s not happy with what I say, I don’t care,” he told The Busby Way Podcast.

“He became unhappy. He became a different person. I watched this player that used to be a happy, lovely kid just moping around, especially in the club.

“Outside the club, I used to see him every now and then, and he was fine outside the club, but in the club, he had this demeanour about him that just wasn’t great.

“Then it transferred onto the pitch, and then you see him walking around, and you just wanted energy levels out of him, which is what Michael Carrick is doing now.

"He’s getting energy levels out of the players, and you wanted that out of Marcus, but you just weren’t getting it, and it was tossed off basically."

Thornley added: "For me, he’s half tossed off his Manchester United career rather than it has been taken away from him.”

Marcus Rashford's stance on returning to Man Utd emerges

Since joining the club on a season-long loan, Rashford has featured regularly for Barcelona, notching 10 goals and 13 assists in 34 appearances.

In terms of his long-term future, the forward would be welcomed back to Old Trafford by interim manager Michael Carrick if the latter is retained by United, according to a report from the Telegraph.

However, Rashford is said to be happy with his new life at Barcelona and is concentrating fully on his future in Catalonia.