Manchester United content creator Mark Goldbridge has hit back after he was made the focus of Marcus Rashford’s ‘abuse’ claims.

The United forward delivered a worrying message to fans on social media on Friday, revealing that he has endured ‘months of abuse’, with United supporters pinning some of the blame on YouTuber Goldbridge.

In the early hours of Friday morning, Rashford responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, that said the criticism he has received was unfair. The post read: ‘The way Marcus Rashford is being treated is absolutely disgusting. It’s cruel. It’s abuse.’

Goldbridge, however, has addressed the claims in a near hour-long live stream on the The United Stand YouTube channel, in a video that now has over 60,000 views. 

I might shock you here, I’ve got a lot to say on it,’ Goldbridge began. ‘But I actually agree with Rashford on the abuse.

‘What’s happened to him? Is this the real Goldbridge or is it AI that’s been told to be pro-Rashford? It’s the real one.

‘In life, not everything is red and green, it’s everything in-between. And sometimes abuse is happening to Marcus Rashford. The problem here is, criticism is not abuse.

‘Saying you want to drop him, saying you want to sell him… it’s not abuse to call someone out for their performances, say they look like they can’t be a***d, say that they’re overpaid, say that they want to be dropped. That’s not abuse.

‘What is abuse, is saying, “F*** off Rashford”, or “Rashford’s faking injury”. Calling him “Trashford” and stuff like that. There’s different levels of abuse there, but that is unfounded, unfair, and not right.

‘Now, I think if you’re in a football ground and Rashford misses a chance and you go, “Oh, f*** off Rashford”, that’s not abuse, that’s just instant passion.’

Goldbridge runs fan channel The United Stand, which has 1.85million subscribers on YouTube. He has recently released several videos in which he criticises the England star, notably once referring to Rashford as ‘about as useful as a wheelie bin with no wheels.’

One supporter took to X to comment on the video, saying: ‘How has Mark Goldbridge managed to turn United bottling a 3-0 lead to Coventry on Rashford.’

Another appeared to reflect the same sentiment, writing: ‘Its in Rashford’s contract to start every game according to Mark Goldbridge. Claims like this are so toxic.’ 

He has often received widespread criticism from fans for his strong opinions, while other support him for giving his opinions.

Last Sunday, United scraped through to the FA Cup final after beating Championship side Coventry City on penalties, despite giving away a three-goal lead in the match. 

Rashford went off injured during the match and was jeered by sections of United’s support at Wembley. 

Goldbridge posted a video on his YouTube channel reflecting on the game where he claimed Ten Hag left Rashford on the pitch for too long, which is where he used the wheelie bin analogy. He said: ‘Leaving Rashford on, who is about as useful as a wheelie bin with no wheels.’ 

In a separate video after the semi-final, he added: ‘Why is he [Rashford] still being picked? Why is it not changing, when is it going to change? I’m out of excuses I don’t know what to say. He shouldn’t be playing for Manchester United at the moment. It’s embarrassing.’

He added: ‘What I want to know is is it in his contract [to keep starting]?’

In February, Rashford hit back at those who questioned his commitment to United and questioned him after he called in sick to training just hours after a boozy bender in Belfast.

He subsequently met with manager Erik ten Hag and missed United’s game against Newport in the FA Cup.

‘Listen, I’m not a perfect person,’ Rashford wrote for the Players’ Tribune. ‘When I make a mistake, I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say I need to do better.

‘But if you ever question my commitment to Man United, that’s when I have to speak up. It’s like somebody questioning my entire identity and everything I stand for. I grew up here. I have played for this club since I was a boy. My family turned down life-changing money when I was a kid so I could wear this badge.’

The forward, who has scored eight goals in 40 games this season, suggested the critics have had their knives out for him ever since he was awarded an MBE in 2021 for his work tackling child poverty.

‘I think some of it goes back to the pandemic,’ he added. ‘I was just trying to use my voice to make sure kids weren’t going hungry, because I know how it feels.

‘For some reason, that seemed to rub certain people (up) the wrong way. It seems they’ve been waiting for me to have a human moment so they can point the finger and say, “See? See who he really is?”

‘I can take any criticism. But if you start questioning my commitment to this club and my love for football and bringing my family into it, then I’d simply ask you to have a bit more humanity.

He continued: ‘You know what, though? If I’m honest, a part of me doesn’t mind it when people doubt me. When everyone is telling me they love me, I get suspicious. I know the way the world works.

‘Whenever I’ve been in my darkest of places, and it feels like half the world is against me, I tend to go off by myself for a couple of days and reset, then I’m fine. Other times, when that hasn’t worked, I’ve found someone to talk to.’