It was only six months ago at the University of California San Diego that Erik ten Hag held court with English journalists and Marcus Rashford’s “lifestyle” was raised.

“When you are not living the right life, you get 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed,” Ten Hag stressed. “What is important? Sleep, recovery, nutrition. Three key areas and when you don’t do this right, you have a problem. You can’t perform.

“So when you ask me about Rashford, the same also counts for Rapha Varane and for every player. You will not reach the levels when you don’t do the things right.”

The next question was, “Is there a concern that Marcus or any other player has a problem with their lifestyle.”

“So I think in general when I came in at Man United, the standards were not right. That’s true. I demand the highest standards in sleep, recovery and nutrition because that makes the difference if you can perform every third or fourth day.

“That is the demand for every top football player, so at Man United we are demanding the highest standards.” Some are letting the standards slip.

United are gearing up for a vital month of five Premier League fixtures and now an FA Cup fifth round tie. Ten Hag has staked the season on returning players billed as “new signings”. Lisandro Martinez reminded everyone at Rodney Parade why he is Ten Hag’s finest signing.

Luke Shaw enhances United and Casemiro is a short-term mentor for long-term linchpin Kobbie Mainoo. Ten Hag acknowledged at his post-match press conference on Sunday that he could field his strongest United XI for the first time in his 94th match in charge at Wolves on Thursday.

“Maybe for the first time as long as I was manager,” he mused. He will not be amused by Rashford.

Rashford has compromised United’s preparations and, on the eve of another journey to Molineux, cannot complain if he starts on the bench. He was the most talked about player at Rodney Parade even though he was 160 miles away.

There were seven questions centred on Rashford at Ten Hag’s post-match debrief in the Bisley Stand. He reiterated on four occasions he would “deal with” the situation.

United say Rashford informed them he was pictured out in Belfast on Wednesday evening. It has been suggested it was on Thursday night and United were training on Friday.

Clarity will be sought from Ten Hag at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday but Rashford should be in the seat next to him providing answers on a situation that is prompting more questions.

Ten Hag referred to an “internal matter”. He could not clarify what that was if Rashford’s absence at Newport was a mere illness.

Jonny Evans, ironically 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in Belfast, was also unwell on Friday but flew to Wales on Saturday. Rashford caught a flight to another UK country and then caught an illness.

Rashford needs to take ownership of this latest apparent transgression. He owes it to the United supporters who made the trek to south Wales. They have been audibly concerned by his form throughout this season.

He has employed a publicist steeped in combating negative PR. Her clientele includes Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Mason Mount, so she ought to be used to it.

Nobody is ordering Rashford to live like a monk. Like any 20-something, he is entitled to socialise and let off some steam. United players had a week off earlier this month.

And Rashford is not obtuse. He was rapped on the knuckles for attending a 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day party on Deansgate hours after the Manchester derby defeat in October. That is still fresh in the memory and he is image-conscious enough to know what is deemed a bad look.

Rashford cut a sullen and distant figure at Stockport Station hours after Ten Hag branded his celebratory shindig “unacceptable”. The quotes were published at 22.30 that Friday evening and Rashford was declared injured for the lunchtime fixture at Fulham the following morning. He watched on from behind the dugout.

Matchgoers have been on Rashford’s case repeatedly, vexed by his entitled body language and tentativeness in the tackle. He has scraped four goals since signing a lavish new contract in July. Rashford has been in the United first team for eight years next month and he is one of the highest earners. He needs to assume that seniority away from Carrington and Old Trafford.

His tardiness for a team meeting before the Wolves match 13 months ago was an innocent error and he admitted as much to this correspondent that Ten Hag’s discipline was warranted.

“I never made a thing out of it because if I was a coach, I’d have done the same,” Rashford said last February. “Because if you don’t have standards in the training ground, how do you expect to go out on the pitch and win consistently? It’s impossible.

“If you’re gonna allow each other to slip or have an off day and no one says anything about it – which is at times a position that we’ve been in – and once you’re in it it’s difficult to get out of it because it becomes normal and I’ve not seen it at this club before.”

Rashford, of course, emerged to lash in the only goal against Wolves but his standards have slipped. Unless something changes, there is only one place to show a player who is losing the confidence of the supporters and is testing the manager’s authority.

The door marked ‘exit’.