Manchester United parting ways with Ruben Amorim could open the door for Marcus Rashford to return to Old Trafford. The England international is currently on loan at Barcelona but remains tied to United until 2028.
The Red Devils opted to send Rashford on loan to Aston Villa last February following his omission from Amorim's plans. The 28-year-old had netted the opening goal of the Portuguese manager's tenure in November 2024, bagging three in six appearances before falling out of favour. The United loanee showed glimpses of his peak form at Villa before securing a summer switch to Barcelona. While Rashford has openly discussed wanting to stay abroad, United's sacking of Amorim could reshape the striker's thinking about where his future lies.
The last year was eventful for Rashford, who faced immediate scrutiny after being sidelined by the new United manager in December 2024. "Our team should be so much better with Rashford. But he has to change," Amorim said at the time. "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."
After struggling to regain his place in the United squad, Rashford moved to Villa on loan until the end of last season, where he recorded 10 goal contributions across 17 matches. When questioned about the transfer, Amorim revealed why he 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 manager said. "Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different."
Following his successful spell at Villa Park, Rashford secured a summer transfer to Barcelona. The Catalan giants possess a £26million option to make his move permanent and the forward quickly expressed his desire to remain at Barcelona for the foreseeable future.
"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."
In an interview with Sport last month, he reinforced his ambition 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, recent reports from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo suggest that Rashford's permanent move to Barcelona is uncertain. Despite receiving positive signals from the club, it's said that triggering his buy clause is not guaranteed.
Barcelona are reportedly planning to negotiate a lower fee than the agreed £26m due to their well-known financial difficulties. While the La Liga giants are confident that Rashford would reject offers from other clubs, the potential renegotiation of the fee, coupled with Amorim's departure from United, adds a new twist to the situation.
Rashford, a product of United's academy, made his first-team debut in February 2016. He has netted 138 goals in 426 appearances for the Red Devils, bagging two FA Cups, two League Cups and the 2017 Europa League trophy.