Man Utd reach decision on Rashford return as current expectation revealed with Carrick stance
According to reports, Manchester United have ‘reached a huge decision’ on Marcus Rashford’s future after ‘crunch talks’ with Michael Carrick.
Rashford‘s long-term future has been in doubt following the end of his loan spell at Barcelona.
The versatile forward opted to leave Man Utd during the 2025 January transfer window following a fallout with ex-head coach Ruben Amorim, having ended the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Aston Villa before joining Barcelona on loan with an option to buy for £26m at the start of the 2025/26 season.
Rashford surpassed expectations at Barcelona, having contributed 14 goals and 14 assists to help them win La Liga.
Despite this, the deadline has passed for Barcelona to sign him permanently for £26m, with the Spanish giants failing to tempt Man Utd to reconsider the terms of his exit.
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This leaves Rashford in limbo while he is at the World Cup with England, with a report from The Sun on Wednesday claiming that the Red Devils remain ‘adamant’ that they will not let him leave on loan again.
However, our colleagues at TEAMtalk are reporting that Man Utd chiefs have ‘reached a huge decision’ on Rashford’s future, with it claimed that United are ‘planning’ for him to ‘begin the new season at Old Trafford’ and he is ‘set to be reintegrated into Michael Carrick’s first-team squad if no transfer materialises before the Premier League campaign gets underway’.
It is noted that the player and club ‘continue to favour’ a permanent transfer elsewhere, but Man Utd will not ‘freeze him out’ after having ‘crunch talks’ with Carrick and Jason Wilcox.
Carrick ‘stance’ revealed with Rashford ‘preference’
While his ‘preference’ remains a move to Barcelona, the ‘current expectation’ is that Rashford will return to Man Utd for pre-season once he has had a break following the World Cup.
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The report claims:
‘Sporting director Jason Wilcox has made it clear internally that Rashford will not be part of any so-called “bomb squad” if he remains at the club. Instead, the 28-year-old will train with the first team and be available for selection.
‘That stance followed discussions between Wilcox and Carrick, with the new United boss prepared to work closely with Rashford despite the uncertainty surrounding his future.’
The Guardian are also reporting that Rashford is ‘expected to start next season’ at Man Utd.
The report explains:
‘Marcus Rashford is set to be re-integrated at Manchester United after the World Cup, with the forward expected to start next season as part of Michael Carrick’s squad. Due to a breakdown in the relationship between the player and club, the 28-year-old, who has two years left on his contract, last played for United in a 2-1 Europa League win at Viktoria Pilzen in December 2024. There are no problems between Rashford and Carrick.
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