Why was Marcus Rashford left out for Manchester United's match against Fulham?

Manchester United are playing a decisive match at Craven Cottage against Fulham. After the 3-0 defeat against Newcastle that left them out of the Carabao Cup, there are less and less tournaments in which they can compete this season. In the Champions League they had a bad start, with two defeats in three games, but they still have a chance to advance to the next round.

In the Premier League they are too far behind leaders Tottenham (11 points), but they still have other objectives. With 15 points, they are only 2 points away from the qualification zone for international tournaments. Brighton & Hove Albion, with 17 points, are currently in the Conference League, while Newcastle are in the UEFA Europa League zone with the same number of points. And Liverpool, with 23 points, are in the Champions League.

With the aim of reducing the gap with those teams, Erik Ten Hag put together a team with all his stars to face Fulham. Except one: Marcus Rashford is not even on the bench. This is unusual, as the English forward has played most of Manchester United's games during the season.

And it comes just hours after the coach publicly acknowledged that he found it "unacceptable" that Marcus decided to go out partying on Sunday night, just a short while after the 3-0 derby loss to Manchester City. That's why many believed his absence vs Fulham was a punishment.

What happened to him?

Despite these speculations, Ten Hag confirmed that Rashford was left out due to physical problems. He explained: “He was travelling with us but didn't make it. We tested him, but he wasn't good enough. He's not fit”. And then he was asked if he was going to be part of the starting lineup if he was well, and he said: "Yes. But we have to close that case. I've said everything about it."