A new decision involving Marcus Rashford appears to have had an interesting impact on Manchester United's summer transfer plans.
Should Manchester United sign a new left-winger this summer?
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Marcus Rashford's future at Manchester United remains uncertain after Barcelona chose not to activate their £26 million buy option at the end of last season.
The England international spent last term on loan in La Liga after six months at Aston Villa in 2024/25. His fallout with Rúben Amorim – which led to his inclusion in his "Bomb Squad" – saw Rashford enjoy two separate spells away from Old Trafford.
Rashford impressed in Barcelona (with 14 goals and 11 assists across all competitions) before joining up with Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the World Cup. He was not always a starter, competing with new Barcelona player Anthony Gordon, but looked good when he played.
Now, Rashford faces a return to Manchester United, as Barcelona did not choose to buy him. He also had a £40 million release clause available to every club apart from Liverpool and Manchester City, but that has also expired.
Today, Ben Jacobs has claimed that United are now more likely to sign a left-back than a left-winger while Marcus Rashford remains at Old Trafford.
Carrick and Rashford played together under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, while Carrick also coached him while working as an assistant under Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
It is not every day that an academy graduate, who is statistically one of the best players in the club's recent history, is forced out the door in back-to-back loan moves. It is even rarer that they return to the club.
However, that is exactly the situation Marcus Rashford is in. And he has quite the challenge ahead.
To play for the club, Rashford will have to displace Matheus Cunha and Patrick Dorgu, while the Brazilian wears the number Rashford enjoyed his most successful spell at Old Trafford in.
Rashford could wear the No.14 shirt he wore at Barcelona, but his two other previous numbers (19 and 39) are also taken by Bryan Mbeumo and Tyler Fletcher.
The number on the back of his shirt will not be Rashford's biggest challenge, but he'll have quite a few of them.
Some fans of Manchester United remain huge admirers of Rashford, others don't.
But there is a wonderfully written script which sees Rashford return for Manchester United's first Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club. Or even the first Championship League since 2008.
I wonder if that script will ever see the light.