Marcus Rashford may be putting a brave face on his Manchester United banishment, posting a message of support for his team-mates after their 1-0 win over Fulham, but Ruben Amorim is sticking firmly to his guns.

Any frostiness between the two men shows no signs of thawing and Amorim doubled down on his stance by claiming he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach, Jorge Vital, than Rashford, having taken exception to his effort in training.

Damningly, Rashford has now not played in United’s last 11 games and instead been made to watch from a distance – and occasionally the substitutes’ bench – as his team-mates toil in front of goal. Still, Amorim is not for turning.

He was left out of the derby victory at the Etihad in December and a warning shot was fired across his bows. Amorim laid down the gauntlet, saying that Rashford must change his habits to be selected even if he does stay at Old Trafford.

The stand-off stretches back to the 4-0 win over Everton on December 1. Rashford had scored twice and delivered an attacking display bursting with energy and poise, but in a matter of hours his world at his boyhood club came crashing down.

According to The Athletic, Amorim heard after the game that Rashford had been out in Manchester on the Friday night, less than 48 hours before the visit of Everton. A disciplinarian, the head coach does not want his players in bars so close to games.

Rashford was asked for an explanation and told Amorim he had been misinformed about his late night. However, three days later, the forward was benched for the defeat by Arsenal, with his social life said to have been a factor behind the decision.

Since then, his only start came in the 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. Two days on, Rashford is said to have been lacklustre in training ahead of United’s trip to rivals City. Sources told The Athletic he had appeared fatigued.

That appeared to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Amorim had had enough.

Now aged 27, Rashford is no spring chicken. He will know more than anyone that his form has dropped off a cliff over the past 18 months. 

This slump saw him dropped by England ahead of Euro 2024 and Amorim will not select him simply for the sake of accommodating United’s highest-paid player. He has made it clear that players are selected on merit, and merit alone. 

‘It’s always the same reason,’ said Amorim on Rashford’s prolonged absence. 

‘The reason is the training. The way I see what a footballer should do in training, in life, every day. If things don’t change, I will not change.

‘You can see it today on the bench. We needed a little bit of pace to change the game to move some pieces, but I prefer it like that. I will put [Jorge] Vital on before I put a player that doesn’t give the maximum. I will not change in that department.’

Asked if the situation will change if Rashford is still at United after deadline day next week, Amorim added: ‘It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player.’ 

Amorim is privately said to be increasingly frustrated with the questions over Rashford’s future but the uncertainty makes this a story that will not fade away until the transfer window has slammed shut on February 3. 

Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, the two men tasked with scoring the majority of United’s goals, are flattering to deceive. Neither has scored this year and between them they have managed just one goal since the beginning of December.

In fact, the only United attacker who poses a constant threat in games is Amad Diallo, making Rashford’s omission from the squad even more glaring. But for Amorim, effort is everything and clearly, Rashford is falling short of his standards.

He will also not have been impressed by Rashford’s admission that he was open to a new challenge away from United. These bombshell comments came in an interview published just two days after the eye-catching victory over City. 

United are keen to offload him from their wage bill but figures at the club will believe they did all they could to bring Rashford back from the brink.

‘It depends more on him than me,’ Amorim told Sky Sports earlier this month. ‘He has to want it really, really bad. He’s here. He’s ready to play if I decide.’

This represented an olive branch of sorts, and a possible route to redemption, but Amorim also made it clear that his players must be near faultless off the pitch.

It is this area in which Rashford is thought to have disappointed his manager.

‘Next week, next game, new life,’ said Amorim.

‘They are fighting for their places but for me it’s important: the performance in training, the performance in game, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with teammates, the way you push your teammates.

‘It’s the small details, but there are some things that have to change.’

In the aftermath of the win at City, Amorim seemingly indicated he had spoken with the club’s hierarchy on how to handle the situation. All of the indications are that Ineos, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are aligned with the approach.

‘For so long, for example with Rash, you try a thing, it doesn’t work,’ he said. ‘Let’s continue to do the same thing? Or something different?’    

Rashford is available for loan but interest from AC Milan, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund appears to have faded away in recent days. This may very well leave him with just one realistic option in Barcelona, although a move there looks unlikely.

He would prefer a move to the Nou Camp but the club may struggle to finance his wages, especially given Eric Garcia and Ansu Fati have not been moved on.

As reported by Mail Sport, Dortmund were open to offering Rashford an escape route from his United nightmare but again, his salary proved to be a stumbling block. A move could be revisited should costs fall but there is no escaping the ticking clock.

With every passing second, the prospect of him being forced to see out the rest of the season in purgatory grows. Whether there is a realistic chance of him earning a reprieve under Amorim is unclear and, for now at least, he is stuck in limbo.

Sources close to Rashford have stressed he is keen to play for United again and that he harbours no resentment toward Amorim. He has also taken on extra training.

But even this may not be enough.