According to the Manchester Evening News, Marcus Rashford's future has once again become a subject of speculation after Barcelona withdrew their £26 million buy-out clause, and Manchester United appear to have made a decision.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Marcus Rashford may return to Manchester United this summer, with a potential debut later this month against Alessandro Amorin's AC Milan. The 28-year-old was marginalized at Old Trafford last season.
Reports from January last year indicated that Rashford's relationship with the manager had deteriorated to the point where he wouldn't speak to Rashford unless Amorin was addressing the entire team. Subsequently, the winger was deemed not to be in the first team's plans and joined Aston Villa on loan for half a season.
Despite his impressive performances at Villa Park, Aston Villa ultimately did not exercise their £40 million buy-out clause to make the loan permanent. Rashford subsequently returned to Greater Manchester.
At the time, Amorim was still the manager, and the England international had no chance of returning to the first team, so he could only look for temporary or permanent solutions to leave his parent club. Later, Barcelona and Manchester United reached a one-season loan agreement, which included a £26 million option to buy this summer.
However, Rashford experienced a similar fate once again. Despite his excellent performances under Hansi Flick and facing fierce competition from Rafinha, Barcelona ultimately decided to sign Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon for £69 million instead of keeping Rashford for a lower price.
Now that the left flank position is filled, Barcelona's plans for the left winger seem finalized, making it highly unlikely they will make another move for Rashford. Rashford will likely return to Manchester United. However, the good news for the Wisensha-born player is that Amorim has left the club.
Alessandro Carrick took over as interim manager after a poor start to the 2025/26 season, replacing the suddenly dismissed Amorim. Although his tenure for the remainder of the season was not smooth, and the club was initially unsure whether he would receive a permanent contract, Carrick has since signed a two-year deal.
This means Rashford has the opportunity to reintegrate into Manchester United's first team under the new management, despite his complete break with the club under the old system. If the striker's return coincides with that of the other Manchester United players who participated in this summer's World Cup, he will rejoin his teammates at the training camp in Maynooth, Ireland next week.
This would also give him the opportunity to face his former manager, Amorin, for the first time in a year and a half. Manchester United will play Leeds United at Crook Park on August 12, and Rashford could also get a chance to play against AC Milan in Wrocław, Poland, three days later.
That would mean a bitter reunion with Amorin. Amorin was just appointed AC Milan's manager this summer, his first job since leaving Manchester United in January. This also means that Amorin might immediately touch a nerve with one of Milan's best players upon taking over.
Manchester United were recently linked with a blockbuster signing of Rafael Leão, but the club subsequently downplayed the possibility, with Fenerbahce now leading the race for the 27-year-old winger. Amorim quickly commented on the Portuguese player's situation as well.
He told TuttoMercatoWeb: "Rafa is lucky to play for a club like Milan, so he should be happy. I think he is happy and motivated right now."
“I don’t know what will happen next until the window closes, but I feel the whole team is really united. I haven’t heard or seen anything different about Leo and the others.”
