Ruben Amorim provides Marcus Rashford update as transfer deadline nears – with the Man United star looking to secure an Old Trafford exit

Ruben Amorim is in the dark over Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester United as the clock ticks down towards transfer deadline day.

Rashford has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford after saying he is ‘ready for a new challenge and the next steps’ in his career. The 27-year-old and has not played in United’s last 10 games and watched Thursday night’s Europa League win over Rangers from a box in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.

Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have been linked with signing Rashford on loan until the end of the season, but the players’ £315,000-a-week wages are proving to be a stumbling block in negotiations.

With 10 days to go until the January transfer window closes, Amorim is still unsure how the situation with Rashford will play out.

‘I don’t know, I really don’t know,’ he said. ‘Guys, it’s 10 days. We will see in the end of the window what happened. And then we will talk about that in the moment.’

United’s other highest earner, Casemiro, also faces an uncertain future, having spent the last five games sat on the bench as an unused substitute. The 32-year-old Brazilian has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, where clubs could afford his £375,000-a-week salary.

The 27-year-old’s representatives are working on a deal to take him to Barcelona before the January window shuts

The LaLiga giants’ sporting director Deco (middle) had talks with Rashford’s representatives earlier this week

Explaining Casemiro’s absence, Amorin said: ‘He has to have the characteristics and then I have to choose the player with characteristics that I see the game. So it’s just that.

‘I have to make some choices. I want to play a style of game that is sometimes different from other coaches, and I have to choose based on that, that’s all.’

Amorim gave Altay Bayindir his first game in Europe for United against Rangers after Andre Onana was guilty of a costly error in Sunday’s defeat to Brighton.

Although Onana’s blunder was a consideration, Amorim insisted that it was always planned to bring in Bayindir who was United’s hero in the FA Cup penalty shootout win at Arsenal earlier this month.

‘It’s always an even fight but this was rotation, it was prepared,’ he added. ‘I also think about the mistake and then the idea I send to you guys and the fans, but the rotation was done. Everything was prepared and we deal with that normally.

‘We think to have two really good goalkeepers. They need time to play, they need the space in the team, so this rotation was prepared. 

‘That mistake was my concern but, in the end, we continue with the same plan that we did last week.

‘I see him (Bayindir) in the same way. He is prepared to help the team and that is the most important thing.’

Altay Bayindir was given the nod ahead of Andre Onana for the visit of Rangers on Thursday night

Amorim revealed that Matthijs de Ligt came off at half-time against Rangers with ‘a bruise’ and Leny Yoro also felt some pain which could impact his involvement at Fulham on Sunday night. ‘Leny was a little bit tired, he’s playing more in this moment so we have to be really careful. We’ll see. I don’t know.’

United will also take a cautious approach with Luke Shaw who is close to a return nearly a year after his last start for the club.

‘He’s going to be fit to train with the team and then we have to start doing small minutes,’ said Amorim. 

‘We don’t have a lot of time to train. We have to put in some exercises in 10 minutes, then he has to make extra work to improve his fitness, so I don’t know. It’s two weeks to start training and to start thinking about putting him in a few minutes.’