MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said Wednesday the club needs players like Marcus Rashford after the forward was quoted as saying he was ready for a new challenge.
Rashford was dropped from United's squad for its 2-1 win against Manchester City on Sunday.
It has led to widespread speculation about his future and Rashford discussed the possibility of leaving in an interview on Tuesday.
“For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps," Rashford was quoted as saying by journalist Henry Winter in a post on X. “When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings.'"
Amorim was diplomatic when asked if he wanted to keep Rashford at the club.
“Of course, because this kind of club needs big talents and he’s a big talent,” he told a news conference. “So, he just needs to perform at the highest level and that is my focus. I just want to help Marcus."
The 27-year-old Rashford is under contract until 2028.
He is a graduate of United's famed academy, which has produced many of its greatest players like Bobby Charlton, George Best, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham.
But he has struggled for form since signing his new deal in 2023 — scoring just eight goals last season and losing his place in the England team.
He has scored three goals in six games since Amorim was appointed in November, but was substituted after 56 minutes of his last appearance against Viktoria Plzen last week and then left out of the squad against City.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, left, and Manchester United's manager Rúben Amorim meet ahead the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
LONDON (AP) — A teen charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England this summer remained silent in court Wednesday as not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, who has refused to speak in each court appearance, was read the charges of three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and additional charges related to possessing the poison ricin and for having an al-Qaida manual.
Justice Julian Goose ordered a clerk to enter the pleas in Liverpool Crown Court as Rudakubana stayed mum during a video appearance from a London prison where he is held.
His trial is scheduled for Jan. 20.
It was the first time in a court appearance that the teen did not pull his sweatshirt collar over his nose to obscure his face.
He appeared to smile as an officer confirmed that the court proceeding could be heard at the prison. The judge noted that Rudakubana was not responding. He swayed from side to side as the charges were read and bent forward at one point.
Rudakubana was charged in August with murdering three girls — Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6 — and stabbing 10 other people on July 29 in the seaside town of Southport in northern England.
The attack at a small dance and yoga studio on the first day of summer vacation sparked rioting across England and Northern Ireland fueled by far-right activists that lasted a week.
The violence, which injured more than 300 police officers and led to fiery attacks on hotels housing migrants, began after Rudakubana — then unnamed –- was falsely identified as an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat.
Rudakubana was born in Wales to Rwandan immigrants.
More than 1,200 people were arrested for the disorder that lasted a week and hundreds have been jailed for up to nine years in prison.
A report released Wednesday was critical of police for failing to recognize the threat of violent disorder after a number of smaller incidents across the U.K. in the previous two years.
The report from the Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services said there were also lapses in gathering intelligence from social media and the dark web.
Rudakubana was charged in October with additional counts for production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism for having the manual in a document on his computer.
Police have said the stabbings have not been classified as acts of terrorism because the motive is not yet known.
FILE - Tributes are seen outside the Town Hall in Southport, England, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024 after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club the week before. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, File)
FILE - Police officers watch members of the public outside the Town Hall in Southport, England, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024 after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club the week before. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, File)
FILE - People look at the floral tribute at the Atkinson arts centre in Southport, England, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024 after three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club the week before. (AP Photo/Darren Staples, File)
