Manchester United 'fan' who abused Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford is a disgrace

"Rashford, don't listen to him," a Manchester United fan in the Stretford End shouted.

There was an exchange between Marcus Rashford and a supporter before facing Newcastle on Wednesday night and footage of the incident has gone viral on social media.

It's not precisely clear what was said in the exchange, but something insulting was directed at Rashford from the stands, which provoked a reaction from the 26-year-old. The word 'd*******' is heard in the footage and the forward diverts from his warm-up and reacts to the perpetrator.

Another supporter pleads with him 'to leave Rashford alone'. That led to Rashford looking visibly angry and Christian Eriksen and Antony attempted to speak with him, but he was annoyed and felt it was necessary to walk away from the area, so he exited the warm-up.

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That was the best course of action from Rashford, who removed himself from an unpleasant situation, and the person who abused him should be deeply ashamed.

It's unacceptable to abuse anyone and the person who insulted Rashford can't be considered a 'fan'. Their actions must be condemned and hopefully it never happens again. For Rashford to be abused at Old Trafford by someone who claims to support United is disgraceful and such people aren't welcome at the ground if they want to act like that.

There's no denying Rashford has suffered a poor season. His regression on the back of the finest year in his career - he scored 30 goals - has been stark, but there's a difference between constructive, fair criticism and personal vitriol, which goes beyond the line and is unacceptable.

It's perfectly fine to suggest Rashford should be playing better, or he should be running more, however, the line has been crossed when personal insults are used.

No player should receive personal abuse, never mind from a 'fan' of their club. It was pleasing to see other supporters around the incident persuade Rashford to ignore the idiot who was responsible and the overwhelming majority of fans would do the same.

There have been audible groans at Old Trafford directed at Rashford this season because his body language has been concerning at times. That's been the biggest gripe for supporters and a conversation has emerged about whether there would be merit in selling him.

That was unthinkable last season. Rashford who was born in Wythenshawe, supported United growing up and progressed through the academy, is the club's poster boy and it would be a travesty if his time at Old Trafford ended in divorce on the back of a disappointing year.

Although fan opinion has split on Rashford, there is still immense love for him and supporters would like nothing more than to watch the best version of the forward each week. There's no feeling like watching a United academy graduate excel at the highest level and Rashford has been the biggest success story from the youth set-up in the last 10 years.

Rashford's journey hasn't been without bumps along the way and his inconsistency from one season to the next has, unfortunately, prevented him from being considered world-class, but when he's at his best, he's close to unstoppable and is a phenomenal talent.

Two months ago, Rashford penned a letter in The Players' Tribune and spoke passionately and candidly about United, and the majority of fans appreciated him speaking out. It was the first step to a full reconciliation with supporters and delivering strong performances was the next. Rashford's form has continued to be below his best, but it wouldn't be a surprise if his name is chanted in defiance at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Every United fan has seen the footage of Rashford being abused on social media and will likely rally around him when the last game of the season arrives this weekend.

The idiot who abused Rashford is not representative of the fanbase - they are a disgrace.