Ex-Man United goalkeeper Ben Foster claims Jadon Sancho's one-word message to Marcus Rashford shows the 'toxicity' in club's dressing room

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has claimed Jadon Sancho's controversial message to Marcus Rashford highlights the 'toxicity' within the club's dressing room. Sancho angered United fans as he posted 'freedom' in a comment on Rashford's Instagram post after he had made his debut for Aston Villa in their FA Cup fourth-round win over Tottenham on Sunday. Rashford, exiled by United boss Ruben Amorim, had played his first game since mid-December after coming off the bench in the second half of Villa's 2-1 victory and took to the social media site to thank his new club's fans for their welcome.

Chelsea loanee Sancho, who like Rashford is still technically an employee of United, replied with 'freedom', accompanied by a blessing and raised hands emoji. Speaking on his podcast, Foster - who spent five years at Old Trafford - said the post from Sancho was indicative of wider issues at the club. 'What is he doing? That's ridiculous because he is still actually employed by Manchester United, so is Marcus Rashford,' Foster said on Ben Foster - The Cycling GK.

Marcus Rashford posted a series of photos on social media, to which Jadon Sancho replied: 'Freedom'. Rashford had posted a message to Aston Villa fans after making his debut for the club. Ex-Man United goalkeeper Ben Foster said Sancho's showed the 'toxicity' at Old Trafford. 'It just reeks of toxicity at United. It reeks of an unhappy place to be, that everybody's buzzing for someone to get out [of the club].'.

United fans also slammed Sancho for his comment. One said: 'What the flop you guys are.'. Another added: 'Y'all should form lazy bros fc.'. A third fan wrote: 'Freedom from Hardwork..... Sancho, same with you.'. Sancho endured a similarly challenging period at Old Trafford under former Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag. The England international was frozen out after refusing to apologise to Ten Hag for effectively branding the manager a liar over why he was excluded from a matchday squad to face Arsenal back in 2023.

His rift with the Dutch manager, who had publicly criticised Sancho's training habits at  United, lasted over a year and led to Sancho's exit from Old Trafford, first to Borussia Dortmund on loan and then Chelsea. The Blues have an obligation to buy the 24-year-old for £23million in the summer. Rashford enjoyed better times than Sancho in Manchester, scoring 138 goals for the club in total and netting an impressive 29 during the 2022-23 season before things turned sour.

What is Jadon SANCHO Doing?! 😱 #jadonsancho #marcusrashford #chelsea #manchesterunited. Sancho and Rashford both left Man United on loan after falling out with the manager. Sancho, now at Chelsea on loan, was frozen out at United prior to his acrimonious exit. Rashford also fell out of favour and was exiled by Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim. Man United fans were unhappy with Sancho's comment to Rashford on Instagram.

He endured a torrid run of form last campaign which saw him fall further down the pecking order under Ten Hag and subsequently failed to make Gareth Southgate's England squad for the 2024 European Championship. Rashford then fell out with Amorim shortly after his arrival at Old Trafford, before delivering bombshell news that he wished to leave his boyhood club at the start of January. Amorim, who included Rashford in only one matchday squad after the 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League in December, later claimed he would rather put 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital on the bench than a player 'who doesn't give the maximum' in response to a question about the wantaway star.

Ahead of his exit, the forward was frequently criticised by both fans and pundits for his attitude on and off the pitch, weighed down by the responsibility of being one of the Red Devils' most senior players and highest earners. Amorim also publicly questioned Rashford's lifestyle and commitment and warned the star he must change if he were to have any hope of breaking back into his plans. Rashford's new manager Unai Emery expressed confidence in the Englishman's abilities but admitted that regaining his best form might be challenging.

'Last week, the Spaniard said: ‘I am very happy with him. The conversations I’ve had were very normal, a player and coach speaking about football, and all I want from him is the best football. ‘As a person as well, he’s been introduced to the dressing room as one more player helping us. His potential is huge to exploit. I don’t want to know the reasons he is leaving Manchester United. Rashford will stay on loan at Villa until the end of the season but could move permanently.

‘I am very happy keeping him here to try to help him recover his performances. His challenge with us exciting and mine is huge. The club worked well in the window.'. Rashford looked bright against Spurs on Sunday, touching the ball 22 times while delivering 13 passes with an accuracy of 93 per cent. He also won three of five ground duels and one aerial duel. After the game, he took to Instagram to send a nine-word message to his new supporters as he captioned the post with: 'Thank you for the warm welcome. Great team performance.'.