Ruben Amorim wants Marcus Rashford to stay at Manchester United despite the player's claims he is looking for a new challenge.
Rashford shocked United in an impressive interview on Tuesday by saying he is 'ready for the next steps' in his career after 20 years at the club.
But Amorim, who dropped Rashford from his squad for last weekend's Manchester derby win at the Etihad, insists he wants the 27-year-old to stay and pursue his ambitions at Old Trafford.
“Of course, because such a club needs great talent and he is a great talent,” said the head coach. 'So he just has to perform at the highest level and that is my focus. I just want to help Marcus.
'We are better with Marcus Rashford, that's simple and we will try different things to get Marcus to the best level he has shown in the past. And that's it.
'I think it's right. We have a new challenge here. It is a difficult task, for me it is the biggest challenge in football because we are in a difficult situation and I said this is one of the biggest clubs in the world. This is a whole new challenge and the biggest. I really hope that all my players are ready for this new challenge.”
Amorim has not spoken to Rashford yet, adding: “No, not yet. It was yesterday, I gave the boys a day off, so he is our player and he is ready for the next game.
'I have spoken to many players individually and during training. What I want is to take the best of Marcus Rashford as a player, so I'm not talking about the future, I'm just talking about the present. Every one of them and that for me is the most important point. I just want to win and help the team get better.”
Amorim played down concerns that Rashford's comments could cause problems for the rest of the dressing room. “I think they (the players) are simpler than that,” he said.
'They focus on their work, everyone, all the players, I was a player and we were a bit selfish, so they are focused on their work to get a place in the team. I don't even think it has an impact on the team.'
Amorim has yet to decide whether Rashford can play in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham under the circumstances on Thursday evening.
“We have one more training, but it's the same situation as all the other players,” he added.
'If they train well, I have to make a choice. We'll see at the end of the training. I expect the best from every player every day, so we'll see after training.
'My focus is to prepare all players as best as possible for every match. There is no way that at these types of clubs it is just Tottenham and let's concentrate on this match.'
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