Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is set to miss Sunday’s Premier League trip to leaders Liverpool through illness.
Rashford, 27, was left out of manager Ruben Amorim’s squad for four games, initially because of his poor performance in training and his attitude around club colleagues.
Meanwhile, Amorim confirmed the club would be triggering the option to extend former skipper Harry Maguire’s present deal to 2026.
But he added Maguire “needs to improve as a leader because we are starving for leaders on the pitch”.
Amorim brought Rashford back into the fold for the home defeat by Newcastle on 30 December, only to leave him on the bench as United suffered a fourth consecutive defeat and third successive game without a goal.
Serie A title contenders Napoli are the latest club to be linked with Rashford, who United would be willing to move on loan if his wages, in excess of £300,000 a week, were covered.
United are 14th place in the league table heading into the weekend’s fixtures.
With skipper Bruno Fernandes and midfielder Manuel Ugarte returning from suspension at Anfield, it was not certain whether Rashford would be in Amorim’s squad.
But the former Sporting boss has ruled out the possibility.
“At the moment he is ill,” said Amorim. “He is not training and this week he is out.”
Asked about Rashford’s position within the club, he added: “It’s the same situation. We will see in the future, but this is like a normal player and then I make a selection.”
