Marcus Rashford is facing a make-or-break return to Manchester United this summer – and former England international Micky Gray has told him to issue an “almighty statement” to salvage his career at Old Trafford.
Rashford, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona after a previous loan at Aston Villa, is due back in Manchester in the coming weeks once he finishes a holiday following his England World Cup commitments. Barcelona had an option to sign him permanently but decided against it, leaving the 28-year-old with two years remaining on his United contract, worth a reported £325,000 per week.
“Marcus Rashford told to issue 'almighty statement' to save Man Utd career after Barcelona loan fails to become permanent.”
Speaking on talkSPORT, Gray said: “There’s a few things here. The most important one is, if Rashford has a future at Man United, he has to do an almighty statement of why he wants to be at Man United and what the reasons were to leave the club in the first place.” Gray warned that even if Rashford stays, he must accept being a “bit-part player”, with the likes of Bryan Mbuemo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Amad now ahead of him in the pecking order. “He’s not first on the list; he’s not going to be playing every week,” Gray added, noting that Rashford must get “super fit in pre-season” to cope with the Premier League’s intensity.
United have reportedly set Rashford’s price at around £40m, despite Barcelona having had an option to buy him for £25m. The forward has not played for United in nearly two years, and Gray pointed to his mixed performances for England at the World Cup as evidence of the inconsistency that has plagued his career.
Elsewhere in the transfer window, Wolves have sacked head coach Rob Edwards after just seven months following the club’s relegation from the Premier League. In his last interview before leaving, Edwards told BBC Sport he was looking forward to a “fresh start” over the summer. Among the players on the move across Europe’s top five leagues are Illan Meslier, Johan Manzambi and Geovany Quenda, according to the Guardian’s summer transfer guide.
The question now is whether Rashford can follow Edwards’ lead and find a new beginning – or whether his United career is beyond saving.