Marcus Rashford has fallen from grace at Manchester United and now his future appears to be elsewhere.
After falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Marcus Rashford left Manchester United on loan in January
Rashford’s brief spell at Aston Villa ended prematurely due to injury, but he still managed to revitalise his career with four goals and six assists in 17 appearances.
That proved enough for Rashford to earn his place back in the England squad for the March internationals as Thomas Tuchel took charge of his first round of fixtures as national team manager.
However, Villa did not take up the option to sign Rashford for £40 million, so he will return to Old Trafford.
Rashford has made it clear that he is keen to join Barcelona ever since concluding his stint at Villa Park. That move faces a hurdle as Barca are only proposing a loan, whereas Ineos would prefer to sell the 27-year-old in a permanent deal.
Marcus Rashford warming up before Manchester United take on Newcastle
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Paul Ince believes Marcus Rashford overstayed at Man Utd
It won’t be easy for Rashford to leave United after coming through the youth system and becoming an Academy graduate.
Rashford has never shied away from the fact that United are his boyhood club, but it appears as though his relationship with Amorim will be left unrepaired.
More United News
Former United midfielder Paul Ince suggests Rashford should have left United two years ago before his time at the club became stale.
“I said it, maybe two years ago, that Marcus Rashford needs to leave Manchester United,” Ince told United In Focus.
“He’s Manchester United through and through, but sometimes when you are at a club for so long it can become stale.
“It was okay when he was younger, but he’s not young now. He’s 27.
“Going to Villa was a great thing for him. You saw that he looked like a completely different player. It was like he reinvented himself. The fact that he’s gone back to Man United is going to go one of two ways.
“He must decide whether he is willing to dig in and stick to the way [Unai] Emery wants to play, or wants him to play, or wants him to conduct himself or express himself in training. If it were me, I‘d be gone. I’d be going to try another club, settle down on a two or three-year contract.
“He’s an exceptional player as we’ve seen in the past. Now he’s a talented player but something didn’t quite work out at United. I think the chopping and changing of managers hasn’t been great for him.
“Some believe in him. Some don’t believe in him. I think as a player, you always want the manager to believe in you. He had that at Villa Park.”
Ince questions Man Utd decision to sell Scott McTominay
United’s recruitment in recent years has been heavily criticised.
Last year, Ineos took control of transfers for the first time since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner. They made some good signings like Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven, but some will stress that mistakes were made too.
Ince wasn’t a fan of the decision to sell Scott McTominay, who went on to win the Serie A in his debut season at Napoli. He believes Rashford should be mindful of that by trying something different in his career rather than staying in the Premier League.
“Whether he goes back to Villa, I’m not sure, but for me, I would go and find something different. We’ve seen it now with Billy Gilmore playing at Napoli, Scott McTominay looking like a world-beater. I don’t understand why they let him go because he’s got legs, he can get up the park, and score goals.
“This is what would be firmly on my mind, if I were Marcus Rashford.”
Only time will tell if Rashford can make Amorim regret his decision.
Paul Ince spoke ahead of the final #RifeDontMiss Challenge, celebrating the launch of the new RIFE Black Edition putters. To register for the final qualifier and be in with a chance of winning £50,000, sign up here.