Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has branded Marcus Rashford's decision to celebrate his birthday at a nightclub a few hours after the Manchester derby "unacceptable".
Rashford was a part of the Red Devils outfit that suffered a 3-0 loss to Manchester City at Old Trafford last Sunday, playing 86 minutes of the clash with Pep Guardiola's side.
Hours after the derby defeat, the England international attended the pre-planned event at an exclusive Manchester nightclub to celebrate his 26th birthday.
Speaking during his press conference ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham, Ten Hag said that it was "unacceptable" behaviour from Rashford and revealed that the forward had "apologised".
"Yes I am aware of it. I spoke with him about it. It is unacceptable. I told him, he apologised and that's it. No further words, it is an internal matter," Ten Hag told reporters on Friday.
However, the Dutchman insisted that Rashford is tuned into his demands, claiming that the forward "is doing everything right" in a bid to help the team overcome a rough start to the season.
"I think your suggestion is not right. He is fitting in. He is very motivated to put things right. I know how much effort he is putting in. He is totally with us," added the manager.
"So he makes a mistake but it doesn't say he [is not] fitting in. I see him every day what he is doing. I know. He makes one mistake but also off the pitch what he is doing. How he lives, I am sure he is doing everything right to help the team and to perform and let us win."
Ten Hag also revealed that Rashford was "rotated" out of the side against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday rather than dropped, before he confirmed that the Englishman was available to face Fulham.
"We rotated more in that game [against Newcastle] and it is not our intention to position him lower or deeper on the pitch. He has to be as close as possible to the opponents' goal because they are his qualities," said the manager.
"So for us [he is] so important and he will so much contribute to our success. So we have to get him there as a team and, as an individual, he also has to make his movements to arrive in the right moments. So [it's about] his timing, and I am sure it will be back."
The forward starred for the Red Devils last term, scoring 30 goals and registering 11 assists in 56 appearances in all competitions, and he signed a lucrative new deal over the summer.
Rashford has found it difficult to make his mark during the 2023-24 campaign, though, only managing one goal and three assists in 14 matches in all competitions.
The attacker's only goal of the season came at Arsenal at the start of September, drawing blanks in each of his last six Premier League appearances. body check tags ::
