Marcus Rashford was tipped to become a Manchester United great after his sensational first team breakthrough, but his Red Devils career is expected to end in sad fashion this summer
Marcus Rashford of Manchester United arrives ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Leicester City FC at Old Trafford on November 10, 2024
Marcus Rashford is expected to leave Manchester United this summer
(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Bruno Fernandes voiced his astonishment at just how good Marcus Rashford was when he first joined Manchester United. Rashford’s time at his boyhood club appears to be coming to an end this summer, with his captain’s comments demonstrating how big of a blow losing him will be to the Old Trafford side.
The forward, 27, fell out with Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim in December last year, which led to him being frozen out of the side. He secured a loan deal to Aston Villa in January, where he made a positive impact in the final months of the season until a hamstring injury ended his campaign abruptly.
Villa are understood to have a £40million option to permanently sign the England international, whose relationship with Amorim is believed to be beyond repair. Yet, it is unknown whether Unai Emery will break the bank to match Rashford’s reported £325,000-per-week salary at United.
The Sun now reports that Serie A giants Inter Milan have emerged as a potential destination for Rashford as they look to bounce back from their Champions League final heartbreak last weekend.
Inter were dismantled 5-0 in a defeat to Paris Saint-Germain which came after they threw away the Scudetto late in the season. Club bosses reportedly believe that Rashford could be a key acquisition and would excite supporters.
Their view of Rashford was once echoed by current United skipper Fernandes. The Portuguese, merely months after signing for the club in 2020, made it clear both how good Rashford was and how good he could become in the future.
Fernandes was asked to assemble his 'perfect player' and selected Rashford's 'pace', indicating just how highly he rated the forward. That's something that will no doubt be frustrating for United fans to hear, as it is a blow the player will fail to truly reach his lofty potential at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes tipped Rashford to go on to achieve big things at Manchester United
(Image: PA)
Fernandes told BT Sport at the time: "I will choose Rashford because I think what Rashford has is pace, amazing pace, but with amazing quality. It's difficult sometimes going at that velocity to have the quality to do the right things, you know. To choose the right time to shoot, to pass, to skill. I will choose Rashy for sure."
The now United skipper admitted: "He surprised me a lot. Of course I already knew his qualities, because he is one of the best young players in the world for me. I think I will choose Rashy because for me this [pace] is one of the best qualities he has."
Rashford, who joined the club as a seven-year-old, showed glimpses of world class talent during his 10 seasons in the United first team but far too inconsistently. He only reached 20 goals or more across all competitions in three seasons, with those often being followed by mediocre or poor campaigns.
He registered four goals and six assists in 17 games while on loan at Villa, having managed to make himself a regular by dislodging Ollie Watkins for the quarter-final games against PSG.
Unfortunately for the Villans, a controversial refereeing decision on the final day of the season against United meant they would miss out on a Champions League place for next season.
It remains to be seen whether that has an impact on Rashford’s destination, with the player previously being said to favour a transfer to Barcelona.