Marcus Rashford and Manchester United: Return to Old Trafford is realistic

Although it recently seemed that Marcus Rashford's return to Manchester United was less realistic, the situation has changed, writes BBC Sport.

Rashford came from Manchester United, playing for the first team since 2016, then spent the second half of the 2024/2025 season on loan at Aston Villa, before spending the entire previous season on loan at Barcelona. He played 49 games for the "blaugrana" in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists. With Barcelona, ​​he won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

FEW BELIEVED IN THE RETURN

When Rashford was loaned to a Spanish club last summer, few believed that the Englishman would return to Old Trafford after a year. It seems that Manchester United didn't believe it either, so they gave Rashford's number ten to Mateusz Kunja. And Rashford himself didn't believe in a return.

"Manchester United have been in a process of change for some time now. I have nothing bad to say about the club, as it has been an important part not only of my career, but of my life. I am grateful for the opportunity. I wish them all the best and hope they will be successful in the future," Rashford once said.

But, unless there is a big surprise at the last minute, it looks like Rashford will be part of that future, writes the BBC.

The forward is expected to join Manchester United's preparations in the Republic of Ireland soon, following an extended break due to his participation in the World Cup. In that case, his first appearance could be against Milan in Wroclaw on August 15th.

For almost the entire previous season, it was expected that Rashford would not play for Manchester United in the 2026/2027 season.

When Barcelona failed to activate his £26m release clause, many believed it was a negotiating move to bring him back on loan. However, the arrivals of Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund and Anthony Gordon from Newcastle effectively closed the door on Rashford at Barcelona.

Rashford said goodbye to the Spanish club via social media on July 30, and a day later, Blaugrana coach Hansi Flick said:

"He's a fantastic player and a fantastic person. The team will miss him, I will miss him, but that's life. We have to accept it."

CAN RASHFORD BE AN IMPORTANT PLAYER FOR THE "DEVILS" AGAIN?

BBC Sport asks if Rashford can be important for Manchester United again?

Rashford is contracted to the Devils until 2028 and is the club's highest-paid player on a salary of £325 a week. This poses a major challenge for the club's leaders, who are trying to cut costs, as Rashford's stay also affects the wage budget.

Fans of the English giants are divided. Some believe that Rashford's clash with former club manager Ruben Amorim over his commitment to training shows that the player has lost motivation and joy in playing for the club where he was born. Many have compared his lackluster performances before leaving United with much better performances at Aston Villa, the England national team and Barcelona.

Others believe Rashford is still too good to be written off, and believe that support and trust could help him become a key player in Michael Carrick's side once again.

The BBC points out that the question is whether United could even bring in a player of Rashford's quality for around £26 million, which is believed to be the amount of the potential transfer.

Rashford is currently the 15th highest scorer in the club's history with 138 goals. He needs 17 more goals to equal Paul Scholes in tenth place on the all-time list.

Rashford scored 32 goals while his teammate was current manager Carrick.

Carrick later coached him, leading him as interim manager for three games in 2021, between the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the arrival of Ralf Rangnick.

Rashford and Carrick have a very good relationship and the player could see a long-term partnership with the current manager. However, it is not known what Carrick plans for Rashford, as the United manager has not yet spoken about the start of pre-season preparations.

The planned open training session has been cancelled, so if Rashford does indeed return, the public will not have the opportunity to see his first moments upon his return.

Although numerous clubs from the Premier League and abroad have shown interest in him, Manchester United remain adamant that they will not agree to a lower price or a new loan.

Unless something unexpected happens in the coming days, Marcus Rashford will once again become a Manchester United player.