29 January 2024 , 12:12
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Nicky Butt has claimed Marcus Rashford "needs to sort his head out" in order to get back to his best for Manchester United, but warned that may be difficult as he is "in a s**thole of a changing room right now".
Having come through United's academy, Butt helped the club win six Premier League titles, a Champions League and three FA Cups during his time as a player before returning to Old Trafford as part of their backroom staff.
He spent a further nine years at United in various roles, including head of the academy and head of first-team development, before stepping down in 2021. During his second stint at United, Butt worked closely with Rashford as he came through the academy and established himself as a first-team regular.
And at an event with Hans Georg Hansen last month, filmed by Man Utd The Religion, Butt shared his thoughts on Rashford's struggles this season. The 26-year-old has scored just four goals in 26 appearances across all competitions and now appears to be in hot water with manager Erik ten Hag after he missed United's FA Cup win over Newport due to illness, hours after he was pictured partying at a nightclub in Belfast.
When asked about Rashford after the match, Ten Hag said: "It's an internal matter. I will deal with it. So, listen [it's an], internal matter. So he reported ill, for the rest it's an internal mater and I'll deal with it."
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And Butt, who first met Rashford when he was eight, has offered some insight into the England international's mindset. "Rashford is a world class talent who's just not happy in his life or football or whatever it is," he explained.
"He's just not happy. And I tell my son who's 16, 'if you're not happy playing football, then you're not gonna play well'. So that's the position he's in. Whatever the dynamic is, I don't know.
"I'm very defensive of Marcus because I've known him since he was eight and maybe I'm not the right person to speak about him because I'm very loyal to people that I really care about and he's one of ours.
"And he is a great lad, an unbelievable talent, but even I will say he needs to sort his head out because he's not happy at the minute and he's not working hard enough. I know what I think, but I can't compare myself to Marcus because he's in a s**thole of a changing room right now.
"Let's be perfectly honest, I was in an unbelievable dressing room. You couldn't have picked or dreamt a better training room. Marcus isn't and it's not the same."