Marcus Rashford found himself out of favour under Ruben Amorim at Manchester United
Marcus Rashford and Ruben Amorim
Marcus Rashford fell out of favour during Ruben Amorim's tenure at Manchester United
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Manchester United sacking Ruben Amorim could provide Marcus Rashford with a route back to Old Trafford. The England star is currently on loan at Barcelona but is under contract until 2028.
United made the decision to loan Rashford out to Aston Villa last February after he had been dropped by Amorim. The 28-year-old scored the first goal of the manager’s reign in November 2024, netting three in six games under Amorim overall, but soon found himself out of favour.
The United loanee showed signs of getting back to his best with Villa but was still allowed to join Barcelona in the summer. While Rashford has been vocal about his desire to remain with the Catalan club, Amorim leaving United may alter how the forward views his future.
It has been a whirlwind year for Rashford, who was quickly challenged after being driopped by the new United boss in December 2024. "Our team should be so much better with Rashford. But he has to change,” Amorim said. “If he changes, we are more than welcome to put in a talent like Rashford and we need it.”
He added: "You try to make it something personal but it's not personal, I have nothing against Marcus. I have to make the same rules for everybody and that for me it's so simple, it's always the same."
Having failed to find his way back into the United team, Rashford joined Villa until the end of last season, where he registered 10 goal contributions in 17 appearances. When asked about the transfer, Amorim explained why the club had allowed Rashford to leave.
"I couldn't get Marcus to see the way you're supposed to play football and to train the way I see it," the United boss said. "Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.”
After impressing at Villa Park, Rashford subsequently joined Barcelona in the summer. The Spanish club hold a £26million option to make his loan move permanent and the striker soon admitted that he envisioned his long-term future in Spain.
Marcus Rashford stands alongside Ruben Amorim
Rashford made just three starts under Amorim at Manchester United
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“Oh yeah, for sure," Rashford told ESPN in October when asked if he wanted to stay at his new club. "I'm enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player it is an honour."
Speaking to Sport last month, he reiterated his desire to leave United permanently. "Of course what I want is to stay at Barca,” Rashford said. ”It's an end goal, but it's not the reason why I'm training hard and giving it my best. The purpose is to win. Barca is a huge, fantastic club, built to win titles."
However, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo recently reported uncertainty over Rashford joining Barcelona permanently. It was claimed that Rashford has received positive feedback from the club, but his buy clause being triggered is not a formality.
Marcus Rashford playing for Barcelona
Rashford has scored seven goals and registered 11 assists in 25 games for Barcelona
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Barcelona will reportedly attempt to negotiate a lower fee than the agreed £26m due to their well-documented financial constraints. While the La Liga club are confident Rashford would snub offers from other clubs, the combination of possibly negotiating a new fee and Amorim leaving United provides a slightly different dynamic.
Having risen through United’s academy, Rashford made his first-team debut in February 2016. He has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances for the Red Devils, winning two FA Cups, two League Cups and the 2017 Europa League.
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