"He should have invited me" - Gary Neville makes Marcus Rashford joke after Manchester United star is spotted partying
Gary Neville has joked that Manchester United star Marcus Rashford should have invited him to his birthday party. However, he insisted that going out after a loss, especially to Manchester City, is not the right decision.
Rashford's decision to attend the party, hours after after the humiliating derby defeat, was deemed "unacceptable" by manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutch tactician also said that the Englishman had apologized for his actions.
Speaking on his podcast, Neville stated that he was not in favor of players going out after losses. He added that his rule was to stay indoors to avoid contact with fans. He said (via Mirror):
"I've said this openly and publicly, if we lost any match - forget the Manchester derby - we wouldn't be seen for a week, two weeks. If we lost a match, a night out would be cancelled. Simple as that. That was my rule, it was the rule in the dressing room: you could not be seen out in a public place if you'd lost a football match. Just optically, it's not great. I don't think if you're seen out at a nightclub in Manchester after a derby loss - I don't think it's right."
He added:
"Erik ten Hag said it was a mistake; I would class it as a mistake as well. Marcus is from Manchester; I know it was his birthday and you've got to live, but it's a Manchester derby and you've just been beaten 3-0. The reality of it is the fans don't want to hear that you're out on the town. I think going to Chinawhite - which to be fair is only about 100 yards from where I live so he should have invited me by the way, I'd have come round and popped out - I genuinely think the wisest thing would have been to stay in."
Neville advised Rashford to make sensible decisions to avoid media scrutiny as long as he plays top-flight football.
Marcus Rashford missed Manchester United's win over Fulham
Marcus Rashford was not a part of the Manchester United squad when they faced Fulham on Saturday. Erik ten Hag has insisted that the forward was not punished for the birthday celebrations.
The Red Devils manager added that the plan was to start the Englishman at Craven Cottage. However, a small injury kept him out of the squad that won 1-0 at Fulham.
Bruno Fernandes scored in injury time to seal the win for ten Hag's side. Despite collecting the win, Manchester United are eighth in the Premier League table with 18 points from 11 games.