Rashford future remains open after Barcelona loan
Two Manchester United icons have argued that Marcus Rashford should spend next season at Old Trafford. The England international has spent time on loan at Aston Villa and Barcelona since his last appearance for the club in December 2024.
Rashford scored and assisted 14 goals apiece during his successful stint at Barcelona, helping the club win La Liga last term. However, the Catalan club opted not to trigger their £26million buy option, leaving the forward’s future uncertain.
The 28-year-old openly expressed his desire to remain at the Camp Nou permanently but Barcelona have since added Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi to their frontline. A separate £40m clause, available to any club except Liverpool or Manchester City, has also now expired.
It has since been claimed that Rashford could be used as a makeweight to help United sign Roma’s Manu Kone. Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Kone is valued at around £51m and Roma would benefit from adding Rashford to their squad, though his wages would force the club to pursue a loan move, which is deemed unlikely.
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Rashford is currently set to return to United training this summer, more than 18 months after falling out of favour under former United boss Ruben Amorim. However, Michael Carrick's move into the dugout has led two club icons to believe there is an opportunity for Rashford to revive his United career next season.
Former midfielder Paul Ince believes Rashford would respond well to playing under Carrick, with the pair having previously been United teammates and also working together during the manager’s earlier coaching roles at Old Trafford.
"I think Carrick can get the best out of him. I really, really do," Ince told Oddschecker. "If Carrick just puts his arm around him and says, 'Yeah, listen, you know, I want you at the club, I need you at the club. This is where you’re going to play. This is what you’re going to do.' Then I believe you’re going to see a very, very good Rashford for Manchester United."
Ince’s thoughts are echoed by former United defender Wes Brown. The five-time Premier League winner is confident that Carrick would welcome Rashford back into his squad, given what the former Barcelona loanee can add to his attack.
“I’m sure Michael Carrick would love him back because it gives him another option,” Brown told The Sun on behalf of LiveFootballTickets . “If he could come into the scene this season, that helps out massively. “I’m still not sure what’s going to happen, but I think if it was just up to Michael, he would definitely be back in. Obviously Marcus would have loved to have probably stayed at Barca. “They went another way, so I’m not sure what other options there is really. For me, it’s always time. People always fall out and you can always rekindle things in football. It’s just the way it is. I think it’ll be a boost for Michael for him to be here next season.”
Rashford has two years remaining on his United contract. The forward has made 426 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 138 goals and registering 79 assists.
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