Mason Greenwood’s present unavailability, according to Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick, influenced the decision to keep Jesse Lingard at Old Trafford.
Greenwood, 20, was arrested on Sunday and was freed on bail.
Until further notice, he will not practice or play for the club.
Lingard has been given a couple of days off “to clear his thoughts,” according to Rangnick, and will miss Middlesbrough’s FA Cup fourth round clash on Friday.
Lingard had intended to leave the club in January, and Newcastle United and West Ham United were both interested in signing him on the final day of the transfer window.
In the end, he did not get the move he wanted and Rangnick said the Greenwood situation was part of the reason why.
“Three weeks ago Jesse didn’t want to leave and then he changed his mind,” said Rangnick.
“I said at the time, if he finds a club and a solution that suits us, we would allow him to leave. With the developments in the last couple of days, things changed.
“On Monday afternoon, the board said they wanted him to stay. We are without a player who has played regularly and also we couldn’t get an agreement for any other club.”
Following reports on social media, Greenwood was detained on suspicion of raping a woman and assault on Sunday.
On Tuesday, he was detained again on accusations of sexual assault and making death threats.
Rangnick stated that the Greenwood situation had been a “subject” among his teammates, but that they had been training well this week.
“They are all human beings and up to the [international] break, Mason was part of the group,” added the German.
Rangnick also confirmed striker Edinson Cavani would miss the Middlesbrough game after being granted some extended time in Uruguay following their recent World Cup qualifiers.
However, midfielder Paul Pogba is set for a comeback after recovering from a groin injury that has kept him out since the beginning of November.
“Paul will be part of the group,” said Rangnick. “He might even start.”