Soccer-Rashford says he's ready for a new challenge amid Man United exit rumours

Dec 17 (Reuters) - Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is ready for a new challenge, he told football writer Henry Winter on Tuesday, as he continues to be linked with a move away from the Premier League club.

On Sunday, United beat Manchester City 2-1, but Rashford, along with Alejandro Garnacho, was left out of the trip to the Etihad, with new manager Ruben Amorim saying his decision was about holding his players to high standards.

This led to media reports that United were looking to sell the England forward, who has been at United since the age of seven, and the 27-year-old spoke on the subject while visiting his old school to hand out Christmas presents.

"For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps," Rashford told Winter when asked if he was staying or leaving United.

"When I leave it's going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That's me as a person.

"If I know that a situation is already bad I'm not going to make it worse. I've seen how other players have left in the past and I don't want to be that person.

"When I leave I'll make a statement and it will be from me."

Rashford has scored three goals since Amorim took over last month, but was taken off in the 56th minute of last week's 2-1 Europa League victory over Viktoria Plzen, with supporters booing the striker as he left the pitch.

The player has yet to rediscover the form that saw him score 30 goals across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, but he still believes the best is yet to come.

"I'm halfway through my career. I don't expect my peak to be now," Rashford said.

"I've had nine years so far in the Premier League and that's taught me a lot, that's helped me grow as a player and as a person.

"So I don't have any regrets from the last nine years. I won't have any regrets going forward because I take things day by day and sometimes bad things happen, sometimes good things happen."

(Reporting by Trevor StynesEditing by Toby Davis)

((Trevor.Stynes@thomsonreuters.com;))