Gary Neville sends stark warning to Marcus Rashford following Man Utd disciplinary issue

Gary Neville has warned that Marcus Rashford could soon have a reputation for having poor discipline if he is not 'careful' at Manchester United.

Rashford has been fined £650,000 - the equivalent of two weeks wages - by United after calling in sick for training on Friday, following a night out in Belfast with friend Ro-Shaun Williams. ManchesterWorld understands that the club were misled by the forward regarding his whereabouts, believing he flew back to the UK on Thursday.

The 26-year-old is believed to have stayed out until the early hours of Friday morning, attending Thompson’s Garage nightclub, and was absent from the squad for Sunday's FA Cup win over Newport County but after insisting the 'internal matter' had been dealt with, Rashford will be available for Thursday's trip to Wolves.

 "To me, going out for a drink or going out for a night out is something that every football player will do and should do so I’ve got no problem with that whatsoever," Neville told BBC Breakfast. "They need to enjoy themselves. It’s just all about choices and timing.

"Manchester United have just had a winter break. They’ve had a couple of weeks off so there was a better moment for him to choose to go out. I would say, go out and have your moment where you relax with your friends, but your timing has to be right. Marcus himself knows - he’s an experienced player now, we’re not talking about a young lad - but he’s done it a couple of times in the last few months.

"I’ve always seen Marcus as being really responsible, a good professional and someone who works hard every single day. I know he’s going through a dip in form at this moment in time but it’s happened twice and it can sometimes become your personality if you’re not careful.

"If you do it too many times people can start saying, ‘what’s happening in his life?’ He just needs to relax, calm down, choose when to go out and get back to playing football at the levels we know he can."

Rashford was criticised earlier this season after being spotted in a central Manchester nightclub shortly after United were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City. He was celebrating his birthday on that occasion but his decision to be in public drew plenty of scrutiny.

The England international has previously been dropped by Ten Hag for disciplinary issues, coincidentally for last season's trip to Molineux. He was benched after turning up late to a team meeting but came on to score the only goal in a 1-0 win.