Rashford gives five-word message after 'confirming wish to leave Man Utd'

Marcus Rashford has broken his social media silence after confirming his desire to leave Manchester United.

The 27-year-old forward recently declared that he is ready for a "new challenge" after spending 20 years at his boyhood club, including nine seasons in the first team.

Rashford has not been included in United’s squad for their last three matches, a decision manager Ruben Amorim claims was solely his own, despite reports that the club’s hierarchy had already decided to sell him.

Rashford had previously posted on social media last week when he visited his old primary school, Button Lane, to hand out Christmas presents.

During that visit, he made his intentions to leave United public. Now, he has returned to social media, sharing a festive image with family and loved ones.

"Family time," Rashford captioned the post. "Happy Christmas everyone."

The timing of Rashford's post follows comments from Amorim, who expressed doubts about whether the decision to go public about leaving United was entirely Rashford's.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Amorim said: "Of course, it is a hard situation. But I understand that this kind of player, they have a lot of people around them making some choices that are sometimes not the first idea from the player.

"So I understand, I can separate things. I am always here for helping Marcus as another player.

"And they have to do what they have to do. I say they chose to do that interview, because it's not just Marcus, and I understand that.

"As a coach, I am just focused on the performance, the way he trains. And the rest, I think it is better for me and the club to deal with that when the time comes.

"At the moment, I am just focused on improving Marcus. We need a lot in this moment the talented guys like Marcus and I forget for now the interview. I just see what I see on the pitch."

Rashford is unlikely to feature in United’s Boxing Day clash away at Wolves as the club, currently languishing in 13th place, looks to recover from a dismal start to the season.

Amorim’s side suffered an embarrassing 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday, missing the opportunity to secure back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this campaign.