Marcus Rashford for Manchester United.
Marcus Rashford's role is Manchester United's primary problem and the club have been warned about catering to his ego.
Rashford spent 20 months away from Old Trafford during consecutive loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona.
Marcus Rashford looks frustrated during Manchester United's draw to Fulham3
Rashford hasn't scored in any of his six games this season
However, the versatile forward has started in three of the Red Devils' fourPremier Leaguegames following his return,and came off the bench in their first outing.
The reintegration of the England international, though, has disrupted United's starting forward line from the previous campaign.
To accommodate the England international on the left wing, Matheus Cunha has been forced out of position to play as a central striker.
Across six appearances in all competitions, the forward has been unable to register any goals or assists for his boyhood club and has frustrated fans.
On talkSPORT's Premier League All Access podcast following United's 1-1 draw, former Watford captain Troy Deeney said: "There is an elephant in the room, and I don’t want it to seem like another Rashford attack, but they just look better when he comes off. Why keep persisting with it?"
talkSPORT's chief football correspondent Alex Crook replied: "Because he’s on £350,000 a week.”
Host Sam Matterface, added: " It’s a major issue that they weren’t planning for him to come back. They thought they had a deal with Barcelona in that he would stay at the Camp Nou, even if they had to pay half of his wages, it meant he was out of the team.
"Instead, bringing him back into the group has actually disrupted that front three.
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Deeney responded: "With Marcus coming back into the fold, he should be having to do other things. He should be the one playing up front and through the middle, not Cunha.
"We know that the previous setup works so it should be Rashford who has to fix it, but instead they’re pandering to him and his ego, and instead he needs to be the one who is sacrificed."
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha during a Man United game3
Mbeumo and Cunha scored nearly as many goals as Man United managed as a team in the Premier League last season
Last season's winning formula
During the 2025/26 campaign, United's primary attacking trident of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, and Cunha combined for an impressive goal tally across all competitions.
All three players hit double digits in the league alone as both Mbeumo and the Slovenia international finished the season as the club's joint-top goalscorers with 12 goals each in all competitions.
When Sesko is fully recovered from his injury, fans are urging Carrick to start the Slovenia international in the number 9 position and choose Cunha to play deeper.
'A wasted talent'
Barcelona decided not to activate their £26million option to buy Rashford permanently this summer which left him returning to Carrington.
While Carrick inherited a player boasting 87 Premier League goals in 287 appearances, the winger's application continues to divide opinion.
Deeney added: "I get frustrated with him because if you just took the talent package, he’s one of the best talents in the country.
Marcus Rashford looks on while playing for Manchester United3
Rashford has been at United since 2005 and has grown as a player there at every stage
"But application, consistency, and the willingness to be the best version of yourself is when I get frustrated.
Matterface agreed: "I want Marcus to really work out because I think there’s talent there, and England should want a player like that.
"But whatever reason, that dynamic has not worked at the beginning of the season and solving that problem is one of the biggest issues for Carrick."
Rashford has often looked to be United's most creative player at times but has struggled to be clinical upon his return.
Simon Jordan added on the White & Jordan show: "I've got no issue with Marcus. I think he's a wasted talent and I think he's shown himself. I think he showed himself with his pathetic podcast that he did a couple of years ago about ‘woe is me’.
"And he's shown himself not being valuable to Barcelona. So why do Man United need him back... I don't know.
"I think they should have made a decision and either bought him out of his contract or let him go on a discounted deal and helped his wages along the way just to clear the decks."