Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United career is nearing an “inevitable ending” according to Gary Neville after the forward was left out of a third straight match-day squad.

The 27-year-old will not feature as United take on Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon, having previously failed to make the bench against Manchester City last weekend and Tottenham Hotspur in midweek.

Neville, in his punditry role on Sky Sports, said “something really is going wrong” for the home-grown talent at Old Trafford. During his squad exile, Rashford has attempted to alert potential clubs to his availability, declaring “I’m ready for a new challenge” in an unauthorised interview during a surprise visit to his old primary school. His most recent appearance for United came in the 2-1 Europa League win over Viktoria Plzen on December 12, when he was substituted in the 56th minute.

“Rashford’s absence isn’t really a surprise anymore,” said Neville after it was confirmed he would not play against Bournemouth. “It’s something of the norm. You leave him out for three matches on the bounce, something really is going wrong or has gone wrong.

“It’s not looking great for both Marcus’s future at the club or Manchester United keeping him. I suspect it’s getting to the point in the journey where there is an inevitable ending.”

Telegraph Sport has reported in recent days how the Saudi Pro League will offer Rashford a way out of United. It is understood the wantaway England striker’s best hope of securing a move to a leading European club is on loan with an obligation to buy, but it remains to be seen if that would interest United.

Nonetheless, Rashford is on a list of elite Saudi Pro League targets that also includes Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. All three are regarded as having the right profiles to develop the league and elevate it on the world stage.

Asked about Rashford after Thursday’s 4-3 defeat at Spurs, United manager Ruben Amorim said: “We are better with Marcus Rashford, that is simple, and we will try different things to push Marcus to the best levels he showed in the past. This kind of club needs big talent and he’s a big talent, so he just needs to perform at the highest level and that is my focus.

“I just want to help Marcus. Nothing has changed. We believe in Marcus. Marcus is a player of Manchester United, so there’s no change.”

Former United right-back Neville, however, said the player risked becoming a “distraction” for the club. “If you’d said to me seven or eight days ago whether Rashford could leave in January, I’d say no chance,” he said.

“One thing in the past with players at a big club, if you’re talking to me about it every single week, it becomes a distraction for the manager and the focal point of the press conference. That’s when it does become obvious they have to leave.

“It [an exit] will probably work for both parties. There’s good examples of players who have struggled at Man United and gone on to do better elsewhere – Jadon Sancho at Chelsea, Scott McTominay didn’t struggle but he’s doing well at Napoli. Marcus might think that’s the right thing for him as well.”