Gary Neville blasts Marcus Rashford over Man Utd star’s holiday as Ian Wright bites back

During the international break, Gary Neville attacked Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford for his travel to the United States, but Ian Wright jumped to his defence.

Gary Neville has labelled Marcus Rashford (Image: STICK TO FOOTBALL/GETTY)

After being seen at a basketball game in Portland, Marcus Rashford’s choice to take a vacation in the United States during the first half of the international break has drawn criticism from Gary Neville.

While other players who were not chosen for their nations were among the first to meet new manager Ruben Amorim at Carrington, Rashford and Casemiro were both present across the Atlantic.

The Manchester United number ten has only managed four goals this season, and when he was photographed in Madison Square Garden in New York instead of on the practice pitch, some fans became enraged.

Neville is among many who think Rashford and Casemiro made a mistake by travelling so far the week United’s new head coach arrived, during the third international break in as many months.

“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 began with on Stick to Football.

“He [Marcus Rashford] needs a mental break, therefore he needs to leave and recuperate with friends. After that, you discuss the venue selection.

To what extent do you fly? What is the difference in time? Will that cause a problem with jet lag? Will the twelve-hour travel cause any stiffness issues?

“This is more on Casemiro than Rashford, but if I’m thirty and taking care of my body, even though he’s a fantastic player and has won five Champions Leagues, we would suggest that he would struggle this weekend because he’s been gone with Brazil for ten days.

“That international break is what they [Casemiro and Marcus Rashford] have chosen. That isn’t the ideal location if you are discussing the finer points of being as prepared and professional as possible for a training session on a Monday evening.

Despite confusing Portland with New York, Neville strengthened his position by casting doubt on Rashford and Casemiro’s professionalism in light of United’s on-field difficulties.

“I am not overly concerned about [Marcus] Rashford and Casemiro travelling to the United States,” the Old Trafford icon continued.

“However, if you have a four-day break, an eight-hour time difference, a 12-hour flight to Portland, and severe jet lag, you feel a little [rough].”

“They travelled to Portland, and I’m posing the professional question: you’re losing, your club is struggling, you’re in 13th place in the league, and a new manager is taking over.

Would you decide to take a stop and refuel on that trip? That journey isn’t for recharging. That is incorrect.

Ian Wright, a Stick to Football personality, reacted negatively to Neville’s reasoning by supporting the United pair’s choice.

In a counterargument, Wright clarified, “Yes, I would travel to the USA if it were my time off.”

“Just because I’m on vacation. Jet lag won’t be a major issue if you’re only going for three or four days.

“Casemiro and Marcus Rashford are accepting what is going to happen in the face of criticism if they don’t play well.

If he [Rashford] doesn’t do well in his first game, you can see how quickly things will shift. It puts you under pressure.

“And it doesn’t matter if he scores in the next two or three games. People suddenly don’t care about it anymore, so he’ll go somewhere else.”

Unexpectedly taking a more relaxed position, Roy Keane also added his thoughts to the discussion, asserting that long-distance vacations are typical for contemporary athletes.

“It’s the norm for [Marcus] Rashford and all these guys to travel to the United States on private jets and do whatever they’re doing, like playing basketball,” he stated.

As we sit there, we ask ourselves, ‘all the way to the States?’ The players would consider the United States to be of little importance.

“We may take into account the lengthy travels and jet lag, but they are typical for them. “What are you talking about?” they might ask if they were seated here. This is what I do, and this is my life.”