During the last part of December 2024, it looked like Marcus Rashford’s 20-year deal with Manchester United was coming to an end.
The English striker told the journalist Henry Winter that he feels “ready for a new challenge” within a while after being out of the team in the 2-1 victory in the derby over the Premier League champion, Manchester City The senior team since then.
Although he was dropped to the bench in the defeat to Newcastle United, this looked more like Amorim’s lack of characteristics than a replacement in the circumstances. The illness meant that Rashford was unable to play any part in United’s exciting draw against Liverpool, and he has not been withdrawn from the team since, with neither the player nor the club blatantly insisting that he would no longer play for United.
With the January movement window in its closing two weeks, a move away from Old Trafford is likely. LET’S SEE HOW BORUSSIA Dortmund and AC Milan have expressed interest in signing the striker on loan, but it appears that it is Barcelona who have stolen a step up the career ladder.
Rashford has struggled badly for form since his career-best season in 2022/23, when he scored 30 goals in 56 games in all competitions for the club he joined as a seven-year-old. There has been criticism of his performances and application in matches, while his dedication to the sport has been questioned amid some disciplinary problems off the field. The player himself has often looked as though he is playing the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Overall, it would arguably be that a transparent break between United and Rashford may also be the most productive option for all parties. However, it’s not an absolute certainty that he played his last fit for his club’s formative years.
What happens next is difficult to answer.
More: all the latest news of the UTD man | Premier League matches for 2024/25 | Last classification of the most sensible scorers of the Premier League
It is not yet known whether Rashford will leave United in January, but at the moment, he proves to be the most productive option.
At the moment, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan seem to be the maximum maximum exit roads probably. However, Milan’s resolve to conclude a deal for Kyle Walker really indicates that they will not meet to point the finger at Rashford. Barcelona, having created a safe room for monetary maneuvering this month, reportedly held talks with an intermediary in an imaginable deal.
Speaking after the defeat of the Wolves in December, when he was asked if Rashford had done the mandatory to recover his place, Ruben Amorim replied: “If he is not there, you can decide. “
However, strangely, Rashford earned a call-up to the team for the stopover in Newcastle on December 30. Leave Rashford out of the teams until his situation is resolved.
Illness meant Rashford missed the 2-2 draw at Anfield and he has not been worried since, it is not out of the question that he can remain at Old Trafford for at least the rest of the season and look to regain his place. .
Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were left out of the dramatic spin-off win over Man City in December after Amorim reported the players were not meeting the required standards. There, a report from Atletico suggesting that Rashford had disappointed his manager by travelling to Manchester less than 48 hours before the league’s 4-0 win over Everton, when he scored his last two goals.
Having already lost his England place, finding himself on the fringes at club level could well force Rashford into seeking pastures new, particularly when there is no obvious role for him in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system. And if the player is not matching his manager’s demands in training, it suggests that a way back into the fold would be difficult.
United will most likely sanction his decommissioning if he manages to make a decent profit, or at least get a large portion of his huge salary covered within the framework of a loan deal.
The player who struck 30 goals two seasons ago to earn a massive new contract has since struggled with off-field indiscretions and niggling injuries, which have led to form best described as patchy.
Earl this year, Rashford was directly interrogated through senior officials of the club after being photographed in a Belfast nightclub in the night before reporting sick before a FA Cup match in Newport County, having provoked On two occasions the anger of former coach Erik Ten Hag to sleep too before. . A team meeting and a scale in a nightclub after the defeat of United against Manchester City.
Rashford turned 27 in October and is expected to enter the flower of age, however, the player around whom United probably seemed to build their attack now looked unsuitable for the first team.
His departure would be sad, but it is a sensible option.
More: All the most recent news of the EPP Club | Calendar of the Premier League team team for 2024/25 | Last grades of the Premier League scorers
Finding a new club for Rashford may be less difficult said than done. Here are some imaginable touchdown points.
Arsenal has been talked about almost in passing as an imaginable option given their lack of a flashy centre-forward, but this very phrase is a paradox.
Rashford has never been a consistent goalscorer (he surpassed the 20-goal mark in just 3 seasons in senior football) and rarely seems to be No. 9.
You could understand the Gunners making enquiries over a possible loan, for instance, but a permanent transfer feels very unlikely.
There’s also the complication of whether Rashford, who has spent his entire football career as man and boy at Old Trafford, could countenance playing for another English side.
Milan are in for reinforcements in January, but significant spending is unlikely to make sense, so a loan move for Rashford makes sense. They would struggle to cover much of his salary, however, they may make a slutty proposal for the player if they progress through the UEFA Champions League.
According to reports on January 8, Rashford’s representatives had travelled to Milan to hold preliminary talks over a potential move this month. However, given the Rossoneri appear determined to sign Walker from Manchester City, their Rashford interest would seem to be over.
Fabrizio Romano has said in the past that Rashford’s preference would be to move to Spain.
Real Madrid are almost speechless (Rashford will not usurp Vinicius Junior or Kylian Mbappé in their attack) and deserve to go through a huge salary relief to sign for the vast majority of other teams in the League.
That leaves Barcelona as his option, and it has been reported in Spain that head coach Hansi Flick would be open to his arrival. Barca’s perpetual state of monetary uncertainty means any move for the United guy is not easy, but it is believed the club can find a way to make it happen.
There is a chance Barca could consider selling one or two players this month to free up squad space and funds for Rashford, but that is not a guarantee.
Athletics’ David Ornstein reported Dortmund’s interest on January 7. The Bundesliga club would be in favor of a loan similar to the one that saw Jadon Sancho move to Iduna Park in the second part of the 2023/24 season. Such a resolution would also allow Rashford to continue playing in one of the most productive European leagues, and covering his salary may be a collision point in negotiations.
Dortmund’s poor season, and the possibility they could change coach soon, also make their transfer plans more complicated. At this stage, a move to Signal Iduna Park seems less likely, but certainly not out of the question.
As reported, Napoli is attentive to Rashford’s situation. Scott McTominay has had an intelligent season since he moved to the United Challengers series title, and can be a useful best friend to convince Rashford to join.
However, Antonio Conte will be more interested in signing Rashford’s teammate Alejandro Garnacho to upgrade Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has signed for Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG have often been mentioned in conversations around Rashford’s future. He was touted as a possible replacement for Kylian Mbappe even before the France star moved to Madrid, and head coach Luis Enrique is said to be a big fan.
The Qatari-backed Ligue 1 champions would certainly have little problem paying his transfer fee or covering his wages as part of a loan, but with a stacked forward line comprising new signing Kvaratskhelia, Goncalo Ramos, Ousmane Dembele, Marco Asensio, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and 16-year-old talent Ibrahim Mbaye, do they really need him?
Reportedly, clubs in the lucrative Saudi Pro League have the monetary clout to make the move a reality, and there is an option to land at champions Al Hilal. Neymar is expected to return in 2025 after a desperate injury, and Rashford would constitute an ideal replacement.
However, it seems a long possibility for Rashford to make this movement at this level of his career, at least as he can damage his chances of returning to England’s team in front of the World Cup in 2026. The player himself is interested in such a decision.
Rashford signed a new five-year contract at the end of his 2022/23 season. That contract, which expires in 2028, earns him a salary of around £325,000 ($413,000) per week.
At the time, there were few arguments against the contract, if not extended, United risked wasting their most productive performance on the loose within 12 months, and the player himself had earned the right to one of the most productive workers at the club.
His form since then means that contract has become an obstacle when it comes to trying to move him on. Few, if any, clubs would be prepared to match his salary, and many others would be unable or unwilling to pay the sort of transfer fee United would like for a player with over three years left on their contract.
Joe Wright is editor of Sporting News and covers world football and the British team. He was previously Gold. com Subeditor before spending six years in the writing of statistics and news, covering the main sports of the world, such as football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby and athletics. Joe has extensive experience covering some of the most important football events, including two UEFA Champions League, the 2016 Eurocup League, the 2017 Confederations Cup and the 2018 World Cup, which included the final in Moscow.