MANCHESTER UNITED are considering sanctioning a loan deal in January for Marcus Rashford as the toxic fallout of his recent comments grow.
Insiders at Old Trafford fear the situation is fast becoming untenable and that the only solution may be to get the England striker “out of the picture” for a while.
Man Utd are considering sanctioning a loan deal in January for Marcus Rashford
Man Utd are considering sanctioning a loan deal in January for Marcus RashfordCredit: EPA
Manchester United fans and a Marcus Rashford banner v Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United fans and a Marcus Rashford banner v Tottenham HotspurCredit: TNT Sport
United would not loan Rashford to a Premier League rival - ruling out any chance of a switch to Arsenal or Chelsea, who have both reportedly been interested in strikers to boost their firepower.
But several clubs in Spain, France and Germany are monitoring the situation and could be interested in giving Rashford an escape-route from his Utd hell.
SunSport understands the last 48 hours have caused a huge amount of unrest inside the club.
New manager Ruben Amorim spent most of his pre-match press conference against Spurs dealing with questions on Rashford.
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He was then pressed on it again after the game, and is likely to be asked in the build up to United’s next game against Bournemouth on Sunday.
Amorim said: "We are better with Marcus Rashford, that is simple, and we will try different things to push Marcus to the best levels he showed in the past.
"This kind of club needs big talent and he’s a big talent, so he just needs to perform at the highest level and that is my focus. I just want to help Marcus.
"Nothing has changed. We believe in Marcus. Marcus is a player of Manchester United, so there’s no change."
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Why Rashford joining Arsenal is perfect fit
By Martin Lipton
MARCUS RASHFORD is at a crossroads.
But now the England star has to make the biggest choice he has ever faced - does he care about cash, or about his career?
Rashford’s shock admission that he is “ready for a new challenge” after some two decades under the Manchester United umbrella has altered the dynamic around his future.
That Rashford might not fit the blueprint of Ruben Amorim - who has now responded to Rashford's comments - was not exactly a surprise.
The Portuguese coach prefers a 3-4-3 formation but appears to have settled on Rasmus Hojlund as his starting central striker and wants two “narrow” inside forwards, with the width coming from the wing-backs.
Rashford has always wanted to play through the middle but is often at his best exploiting spaces out wide - and that skillset does not necessarily suit the way Amorim wants to play.
Even so, going public with his evident dissatisfaction at being bombed entirely from the squad for the Manchester derby was a major move, even if he vowed there would be “no hard feelings” if he does leave his boyhood club.
In truth, Rashford has been leaving United almost from the moment he signed that new £325,000 per week contract in 2023.
Something was broken in his connection to the club. His form dropped, his threat dissipated, his issues with the hierarchy deepened.
When Erik ten Hag dropped him for hosting a birthday party after a derby defeat, and he later pulled a sickie to miss the FA Cup game with Newport, it felt even then that the writing was on the wall.
The facts suggest the love affair has ended. After scoring 30 in all competitions to earn that new deal, he has scored just 15 in the 18 months since it was signed.
Amorim’s arrival seems merely to have accelerated what was increasingly inevitable.
Now, though, it is up to Rashford to determine what his future will bring.
If it is only about the money, then his options might be somewhat limited.
It is hard to see a Prem rival coughing up the same £16.9m annual salary - although Rashford’s comments have probably knocked £20m-plus off any transfer fee, even next month.
But Real Madrid have their fill of big-money strikers and Barcelona’s budget remains restricted by La Liga financial controls.
In Europe, then, that probably leaves PSG - but a move to a one-club league.
Or, in the wider world, he could follow the likes of Ivan Toney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Firmino and Co and head to the Saudi desert.
Lucrative, yep. Certainly a different environment - and that may be exactly what Rashford both wants and needs. But the football? Not in a million years.
What Rashford needs, above all, is to be able to play for trophies and showcase his talents.
There is no better stage than the Premier League - which has far more global eyeballs on it than any other domestic competition.
And in that Premier League there is one club crying out for a goalscoring No 9, especially if he can also play down the left channel to balance out the side and widen its threat.
Rashford has always been more Longsight than London.
Yet Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta, might be the perfect fit.
The Gunners’ lack of a proper scorer is one of the major factors many fans feel has hurt their title challenge this year.
Gabriel Jesus has never been a natural finisher, while Kai Havertz is still a converted midfielder.
And while the link-up between Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka makes their right flank deadly, faith in Gabriel Martinelli on the left is waning.
There have not been too many who succeeded at Arsenal after leaving United - although Danny Welbeck was not a flop.
Rashford has all the attributes to change that history, if he can reproduce what everybody knows is inside him.
And by breaking free, giving himself the chance to start all over, Rashford can make a point to Amorim that will resonate for a very long time.
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It comes after Rashford sensationally toldjournalist Henry Winter: "For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps."
Although Amorim has said Rashford is a part of the squad and could have a future at the club, it’s widely accepted now that he will leave in a permanent deal at the end of the season.
Ruben Amorim responds to Marcus Rashford's Man Utd transfer bombshell about wanting 'new challenge'
Until then a loan-move would help cool the heat around the situation, as well as giving Rashford the chance to put himself in the shop window.
Rashford and his advisors know a mega-money deal will be on offer from Saudi Arabia.
But the player isn’t thought to be interested in such a move as he still believes his best years are ahead of him.
He’s also told pals he still believes he can force his way back into the England squad, where Thomas Tuchel will soon face the task of finding a long-term replacement for ageing skipper Harry Kane.
Although a Premier League switch can’t be ruled out, those close to Rashford think he prefers the idea of a total reset by switching to a foreign club where he can look to rebuild his career.
Ruben Amorim has said Rashford is a part of the squad and could have a future at the club
Ruben Amorim has said Rashford is a part of the squad and could have a future at the clubCredit: Getty