Neville calls Rashford “unprofessional” for NBA trip

Gary Neville has questioned the professionalism of both Marcus Rashford and Casemiro after the Manchester United duo flew to the United States during the international break.

Rashford, who was again not selected by Lee Carsley for England's final Nations League matches last week, enjoyed his Three Lions exile last Friday by traveling to the United States to watch an NBA match between New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden.

Before taking his seat courtside, Rashford was greeted by a host of NBA players, including Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson and many entertainment stars such as Spike Lee and Ben Stiller.

Wearing a black t-shirt, black leather trousers and a white Louis Vuitton jacket, the Manchester United striker also stood out with a stunning new set of grills to accompany his fashionable outfit.

Meanwhile, Casemiro traveled to Orlando during the international break and posted photos of him and his family at Disney World on Instagram.

The Brazilian midfielder posted on Instagram: 'Great few days in Orlando with family and friends, I'll be back soon!!! Thanks, Orlando, USA!!”

Disappointed with the pair crossing the Atlantic during Ruben Amorim's first two weeks as Manchester United manager, Red Devils legend Neville questioned their professionalism and suggested they would suffer from jetlag on their return.

“The professionalism, taking care of your body and making sure you are best prepared for the next training session is vital to every decision you make during the season,” Neville stressed on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.

'He's on a mental break, he needs to get away and rest with friends – then you talk about choice of location, how far are you flying, what's the time difference, is that going to cause a jetlag problem? , is that going to cause a stiffness problem if you're on a flight for 12 hours?

'This is more about Casemiro than Rashford, but if I'm 30 years old and I take care of my body, and he has won five Champions Leagues and is an incredible player, but if he was away for ten days with Brazil, we would doing.' saying he would have a hard time this weekend because he was away.

'They opted for that international breakthrough. “When you're talking about the little details of being as professional as possible and being as prepared as possible for a Monday night training session, that's not the best choice of venue.”

Rashford was joined by his friend Ro-Shaun Williams, who came through the United ranks with the 27-year-old and now plays for Northern Irish side Larne.

The Red Devils forward had traveled to Belfast to meet Williams earlier in January after his former teammate signed for his new club.

The trip ultimately led to Rashford being disciplined by recently sacked Man United boss Erik ten Hag after the forward called in sick following a day of drinking in Belfast the day before.

Neville continued to criticize the pair over their recent trip to the United States, adding: 'I'm not too excited about Rashford and Casemiro going to the States, but what I'm asking is if you have a four-day holiday break, Portland is a 12 hour flight and an eight hour time difference, your jet lag is bad and you feel a little [rough].

“They went to Portland and I ask the question based on professionalism: you play poorly, the team loses, you are 13th in the league and a new manager comes in. Would you choose that trip as a break to recharge your batteries? That's not a charging trip. That's not right.'

However, Ian Wright disagreed with his podcast co-host and said he had no problem with Rashford and Casemiro going to the US during their time off.

When asked if he would travel to the US during an international break, Wright said: “If it's my spare time then I would. Simply because it is my free time. If you go for three or four days, jet lag won't cause you too much of a problem.

Amorim, who officially took charge at Old Trafford last week, will be looking to make a quick start at the club against Ipswich on Sunday, especially as Ruud van Nistelrooy remained unbeaten during his interim spell at the helm.

United had dropped to fourteenth in the Premier League prior to Ten Hag's departure and have since risen one place ahead of Sunday's Portman Road.