Manchester United reportedly wanted to sign a 'big brother' for Marcus Rashford only months before palming him off to Aston Villa. Murmurings of concern around Rashford's lifestyle off the pitch seemingly sparked Old Trafford bosses into action, although their plan was eventually foiled.
Maximising Rashford's talent was still prominent on United's to-do list last summer. INEOS decided to stick with then-manager Erik ten Hag, who brought the best out of Rashford in his 30-goal 2022/23 campaign, and the thought of offloading their academy product still felt far-fetched. So central was the 27-year-old to United's plans going forward, they were prepared to take action in the transfer market for his benefit.
According to The Daily Mail, senior figures at Old Trafford were seriously discussing the prospect of signing Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea. The former England man had been frozen out by Enzo Maresca and was on the lookout for a club at which he could get his career back on track.
United's sporting director at the time, Dan Ashworth, knew Sterling well from his stint as the FA's director of elite development. Technical director Jason Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada were also more than familiar, having previously held high-up positions at Manchester City.
All three are believed to have vouched for Sterling as a potential 'big brother figure' to Rashford, who is three years his junior.
However, United's proximity to PSR limits dissuaded them from pressing ahead with the move, which would have forced them to cover a healthy proportion of Sterling's massive wages.
Arsenal were also a factor, as former City assistant Mikel Arteta swooped in to reunite with a player he knew well from his time as Pep Guardiola's sidekick at the Etihad. Six and a half months on, Sterling may now wish things had panned out differently.
The Kingston-born winger is on course for the worst season of his professional career, having scored just once in 22 Arsenal games across all competitions. And there is little chance of the Gunners making his loan move permanent in the summer.
Rashford is also at an important crossroads, having been frozen out by Ten Hag's replacement, Ruben Amorim, and sent on loan to Aston Villa in January. The West Midlands club have a £40million option to buy Rashford at the end of the campaign, although he is yet to get off the mark for his new club.