Marcus Rashford has said his emotions got the better of him after a social media video appeared to show him trying to confront fans.
He was filmed after his Manchester United side were beaten 1-0 by Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford on Tuesday in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the home team losing 2-1 on aggregate.
The footage appears to show Rashford walking past fans outside the ground, hearing something shouted and then trying to head towards them before being ushered away by security.
The 24-year-old footballer then seems to make a gesture with his hand to the fans as he walks away.
Rashford, who came on midway through the second half against Atletico, netted 21 goals in all competitions last season but he has scored just five times in this campaign after making his return from shoulder surgery in October.
And the England international has started only two of United’s last seven games in all competitions.
He has now sought to clarify his actions on Tuesday night in a passionate statement on Twitter.
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He denied he had raised his middle finger to the supporters lined up outside Old Trafford, and clarified the words he used during the confrontation.
Rashford also said he is “human” and that the response was not down to his ego, but down to the fact he was “upset and disappointed”.
There are 2 sides to every story. pic.twitter.com/Xl2PRyaX2c
The forward wrote: “A video can paint a thousand words and in this case lead to inaccurate info being shared on social media. Guys for weeks I’ve been heckled, threatened, questioned and last night my emotion got the better of me.
“I’m a human being. Reading and hearing that stuff about yourself every day it wears you down.
“No one is more critical of my performance than me. But what you see in this video lacks context. I had been heckled from the minute I stepped foot outside the ground, abuse not just aimed at my football.
“I want to clarify two things. The first being what I actually said to the man throwing abuse at me which [was] ‘come over here and say it to my face’, a fact security can back up.
“Secondly, the fact I used my forefinger to direct the fan to ‘come over and say it to my face’. I did not gesture with my middle finger. I’m not entitled. This isn’t ego. I’m upset. I’m disappointed. And in that moment it was silly but I was being human.”
Man Utd retweeted the statement, posting a heart emoji.
Rashford’s teammate Paul Pogba revealed on Wednesday that his house was burgled during the match while his children were at home sleeping.
He tweeted: “The burglars were in our home for less than five minutes but in that time they took something from us more valuable than anything we had in our home… our sense of safety and security.”
