Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho’s days at Old Trafford are numbered after falling out of favour with Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim during the 2024-25 campaign.
Ruben Amorim sent a clear-cut message to Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho after he ruthlessly axed the pair from his squad last December.
Both Rashford and Garnacho were axed from United’s sensational 2-1 comeback win over Manchester City in the Premier League clash at the Etihad in 2024.
Amorim urged the aforementioned United pair to fight for their place in the Red Devils first-team squad after being unimpressed with their training and work ethic.
Garnacho was able to climb back into the fold after the initial setback, but Rashford chose to exit United instead and left Old Trafford in the 2024-25 season.
Rashford was loaned out to Aston Villa during the January window and was able to secure regular first-team football after his fractured relationship with Amorim.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim issues instructions to Alejandro Garnacho during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford in 2024 in Manchester.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
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The futures of Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho at Man Utd are coming to an end and it opens up a key role for one player
Marcus Rashford returned to Old Trafford in the summer after his loan deal with Aston Villa expired and the Manchester United player is still expected to leave.
The 27-year-old has been training alone at the Carrington training complex after being frozen out of the Red Devils squad under United manager Ruben Amorim.
Barcelona have been linked with Rashford and United are keen to offload the former Aston Villa forward, who is currently being valued at around £40m by the Red Devils.
Joining Rashford on the chopping block is United winger Alejandro Garnacho, whose relationship with Amorim splintered towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Garnacho was critical of Amorim’s tactics after the former Sporting CP manager dropped him for United’s 1-0 Europa League final defeat to Tottenham in Bilbao.
Amorim reportedly told Garnacho to search for a new club this summer and the 21-year-old Spain-born attacker has been linked with both Napoli and Chelsea.
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Ruben Amorim can use Kobbie Mainoo to fill a key Man Utd role left behind by Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho
Kobbie Mainoo has retained his place as a key influence in the United team under Amorim and the 20-year-old could play an even bigger role for the manager.
Rashford and Garnacho were often placed under the spotlight for being ‘success stories’ that have emerged from the United youth academy into the Red Devils first team.
Former Aston Villa player Rashford and Napoli and Chelsea-linked Garnacho were seen as role models for the next wave of emerging United players at Old Trafford.
But Mainoo is a ready-made replacement to take over the baton from Garnacho and Rashford single-handedly and could easily be that source of inspiration for up-and-coming talent.
The Stockport-born midfielder impressed upon his breakout season at Old Trafford in the 2023-24 campaign under former United and Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.
While Mainoo’s 2024-25 season was disrupted by injuries, he can bounce back in the 2025-26 campaign and champion the role of being a source of inspiration for United talent.