Marcus Rashford’s Belfast bender has strained his relationship with Manchester United team-mates with his status as a senior figure in the dressing room tarnished

Marcus Rashford’s infamous tequila drink in Belfast has tested his relationship with some of his Manchester United teammates.

Rashford’s status as a senior figure in the United dressing room is understood to have been tarnished by the incident that saw him thrown out of the squad to face Newport County in the FA Cup last month.

Some players were disappointed that Rashford had stayed up until the early hours of the morning in a Belfast bar and missed training at Carrington the next morning, and then tried to convince the club that it happened 24 hours before the planned day off. .

The England international wrote an article in the Players’ Tribune last week defending his commitment to United, but sources say the controversy has damaged his credibility in the eyes of some team-mates.

Coach Erik ten Hag was furious at Rashford’s antics, having reprimanded the player for a nightclub visit in October.

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The two moved on after a clear meeting in Carrington and are now said to have nothing more than a working relationship.

Rashford scored a superb goal in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Etihad derby, and Ten Hag will need more from the 26-year-old for the rest of the season as he battles to save his place.

United will face Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime looking to close the gap on Tottenham and Aston Villa in the race for Champions League qualification.

Ten Hag’s side will face Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals after beating Nottingham Forest in the fifth round last week.

Forest are investigating how a United fan gained entry to the City Ground by posing as a steward after having tickets canceled at the home stadium as a result of being identified as a United member or season ticket holder.

The fan posted a video showing him in a high-visibility jacket telling another steward that he needed to go to the bathroom before being led into the empty stadium.