Ruben Amorim has taken aim at the 'people around' Marcus Rashford following the Manchester United forward's admission he is 'ready for a new challenge' in his career.

An active situation at Man United has seen Rashford admit he is ready to finally leave the club he grew up supporting and has played for since the age of seven. That bombshell was dropped shortly after manager Amorim had removed him from the squad for the Manchester derby eight days ago over training standards.

The 27-year-old has since been kept out of matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth - though was spotted at Old Trafford acknowledging supporters for the latter. Amorim had previously commented on Rashford's interview but in a new talk with Sky Sports, the 39-year-old has questioned the people around the player.

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"It is a hard situation. I understand that these players have a lot of people around them, making choices that are not the first idea from the player," he said.

"I am always here to help Marcus as another player. I have to do what I have to do. They chose to do the interview as it is not just Marcus. I understand that.

"As a coach I focus on performance and the way you train. The rest, it is better for me and the club to deal with that when the time comes. At the moment I focus on improving Marcus and we need a talented guy like Marcus."

Putting the matter of the transfer admission behind them both, the manager finished: "I forget the interview now and see what I see on the pitch."

United's next match sees them travel to Wolves in the Premier League on Boxing Day. Whether Rashford will make his return there, Amorim has previously answered: "It depends. We will see."