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. For the next month or so, his concentration is on England. On Sunday, cameras were allowed in for 15 minutes, capturing him 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. Monday brought no 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 being activated.
“Barcelona declined to trigger Marcus Rashford's £26m buy option, leaving his Manchester United future uncertain.”
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. His contract pays £325,000 a week and still has two years to run. In theory, Rashford could resume his career at his boyhood club.
Head coach Michael Carrick knows him well – as a team-mate, coach, and hands-on manager for three games following Ole Gunnar Solskjær's dismissal in 2021. When Carrick was asked about Rashford in April, he said no decision had been made. “Whoever's here, I want to work with them and help them to improve,” he added.
But minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring wage costs down, and that is not simple when the club's highest earner is on such a huge sum. In addition, United gave Rashford's number 10 shirt to Matheus Cunha last season and are unlikely to take it off the Brazilian. Summer squad rebuilding plans are being pieced together in the belief Rashford will not be part of them.
Twelve months ago, Ruben Amorim placed Rashford in his 'bomb squad' and told him to train at different times to the main group. He did the same with Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia. Last week, 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. It is fair to assume ostracising Rashford this season is off the agenda.
For now, United say they expect the forward to return following his post-World Cup break.