Ruben Amorim fires ‘if he desires to be’ jibe at Man Utd outcast Marcus Rashford

Ruben Amorim refused to be dragged into conversations regarding Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United career after he scored twice in Aston Villa’s FA Cup win on Sunday

Ruben Amorim has refused to offer Marcus Rashford a Manchester United lifeline.

Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season following a bust-up with Amorim. The England forward was accused of having a bad attitude in training – and found himself axed from the squad.

Since joining Villa, Rashford has rediscovered some of his best form, and scored twice in Sunday’s FA Cup clash at Preston to help fire Unai Emery’s men into the semi finals.

United have told Villa to stump up around £40m if they want to make Rashford’s move permanent. But when asked if the door remained open for Rashford to head back to Old Trafford, Amorim said he was more interested in the players he still had in his squad.

Amorim, whose side travel to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, said: “I know Rashford really well, and everybody knows the talent that he has.

“He’s a top player, if he wants to be. So I’m not surprised. It’s a good thing we see our players doing well on loan in a different context.

“That can happen. It’s a good sign for the club. But let’s focus on the game.

“I’m planning the future, but I don’t want to talk about the future in this moment. I just want to focus on the game.”

Amorim, meanwhile, insists Bruno Fernandes will not be sold and is ‘going nowhere’. Fernandes has been linked with a £90m move to Real Madrid, but Amorim added: “It’s not going to happen.

“We want to win the Premier League again, so we want the best players to continue with us.

“So he’s not going anywhere. We are in control of the situation and I feel that he is really happy here, especially because he understands what we want to do.

“This is the kind of player that we want and he’s not going anywhere, because I’ve already told him!”