Marcus Rashford did not give the impression of being consumed by concerns about his future as he trained in heat that climbed above 30C in Kansas City. In fairness, now is not the time to have attention diverted by club matters. For the next month or so, his concentration is on England – and on Sunday, that meant linking up with Jude Bellingham, Ivan Toney, Djed Spence, Eberechi Eze and Anthony Gordon in a passing drill before Wednesday’s World Cup Group L opener against Croatia in Dallas.
The onus is on keeping the focus there. It was not as if Monday would bring any news Rashford was unaware of anyway. The deadline Barcelona agreed with Manchester United to trigger a £26m clause to turn Rashford’s loan into a permanent deal passed without it being activated. On 1 July, when Rashford will hope to be preparing for a last-32 encounter in Atlanta, he will officially return to being a Manchester United player, with a £325,000-a-week contract that still has two years to run.
“Barcelona pass on £26m Rashford buy option; England boss Tuchel keeps him on bench as Gordon fails to impress.”
In theory, Rashford could return to his boyhood club and resume his career there. Head coach Michael Carrick knows him well. When Carrick was asked about Rashford in April, he said no decision had been made about the attacker’s future, adding: “Whoever’s here, I want to work with them and help them to improve.” But minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring wage costs down, and that is not simple when the highest earner is on such a huge sum. In addition, United gave Rashford’s number 10 shirt to Matheus Cunha last season and are hardly likely to take it off the Brazilian. The summer squad rebuilding plans are being pieced together in the belief Rashford will not be part of them.
Yet it is tricky. Twelve months ago, Ruben Amorim placed Rashford in his ‘bomb squad’ and told him to train at different times to the main group. Last week, world governing body Fifa announced a memorandum of understanding with global players’ union Fifpro, confirming any player exiled from the main group can demand to be released – and to have their contracts paid up. Ostracising Rashford this season is off the agenda. For now, United say they expect the forward to return following his post-World Cup break.
Meanwhile, Rashford watches from the bench as England stumble. Thomas Tuchel’s side blew the chance to seal top spot in Group L, drawing 0-0 with Ghana in Boston. Gordon, who arrived at the World Cup with a spring in his step, started on the left flank but failed to make his mark for the second consecutive match. Outside of England’s final heartbreak against Spain in Berlin, Gordon’s Euro 2024 was best remembered because he only played four minutes all tournament and fell off his bike, grazing his chin. Now he should be using those bad memories as fuel – but against Ghana he lacked tempo. Tuchel’s thunderous half-time team-talk in Dallas, which evidently struck a chord, was centred around freeing England from their shackles. “What is the worst that can happen?” he demanded. The players responded emphatically, which is why it was so surprising to see Gordon play with such a clear lack of tempo.
Gordon’s qualities – blistering speed, directness, ability to get to the byline – are to die for. In sodden Orlando in the final warm-up, he delivered an intelligent assist for Declan Rice before blasting home from the penalty spot. On the basis of that red-hot display, nobody could dispute his inclusion in Tuchel’s best line-up. But now we could well be about to witness a changing of the guard, with Rashford chomping at the bit for a starting berth. Ironically, at club level, Rashford has been left in limbo by his international team-mate’s life-changing switch to Catalonia – Barcelona were content to let their buy-option expire, even though Rashford mustered 28 goal involvements across all competitions. It bodes well for England because Rashford looks hungrier than ever, determined to prove a point, and he just loves the World Cup stage, having scored three times in Qatar and from the bench against Croatia.
As the deadline passed without a deal, Rashford’s club future hangs in the balance. But for now, he waits for his chance on the pitch – and when it comes, he intends to take it.