Marcus Rashford has not played in three weeks due to a hamstring strain that prevented him from featuring in Aston Villa's FA Cup semi-final defeat.
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Rashford has not played in three weeks
Rashford has not played in three weeks
Manchester United expect Marcus Rashford to move abroad in the summer and have no intention of reintegrating him into their squad.
Rashford, 27, joined Aston Villa on loan in February but has suffered a hamstring injury that has kept him out for the past three weeks. Rashford is available for £40million but Villa do not have first refusal on the England international.
Senior United figures have reiterated Rashford is not in their plans for next season after head coach Ruben Amorim omitted him from 11 out of 12 matchday squads prior to Rashford's move to Villa.
Sources close to Rashford insist he is not prepared to take a wage cut on his £325,000-a-week salary, which would restrict him to a handful of potential suitors in the summer. He is under contract at United until 2028.
United are braced for Rashford to return for pre-season training in what could be a similar impasse to Jadon Sancho's situation last year. Sancho was included in United's pre-season tour squad for the United States and did not join Chelsea until transfer deadline day on August 31.
Rashford wants to continue playing in the Champions League, having started in both of Villa's quarter-final legs against Paris Saint-Germain. He is not interested in joining a London club.
Barcelona have long appealed to Rashford while PSG expressed interest in the past and met Rashford's brother, Dwaine Maynard, in August 2022. PSG have since rebranded their squad and reached their second Champions League final with a younger and less egocentric squad with victory over Arsenal last week.
Wingers Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are automatic picks at Barcelona, where the 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski is still their main striker. Lewandowski is out of contract next year.
Well-placed sources have suggested Rashford's refusal to entertain a move to the capital indicates a willingness to cross the divide in Manchester and join City or even join Liverpool, however remote either prospect would be.
Close confidants of Rashford said he had "never been happier" at Villa, where he has started ten games and made seven substitute appearances, scoring four goals. Villa are covering 75 per cent of Rashford's wages.
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