Rashford’s Man Utd Exit Leaves Unanswered Questions

In this modern world, where image means so much, the post uploaded on to Marcus Rashford’s social media feed on Sunday was instructive.

 

Rashford was on a private plane, heading to Barcelona, playing cards with his brothers Dane and Dwaine.

 

As he shuffled the deck, one card was shown, half turned over. The ace of hearts.

 

Presumably this was deliberate. The card itself is positive, symbolic. More impactful than, say, the three of diamonds or six of clubs.

 

But it also captured the sentiment of genuine affection around the 27-year-old.

 

Even those inside Old Trafford, who have known for so long there was no chance of a return, no possibility of Ruben Amorim’s arm being placed round his shoulders as he was ushered back into the fold, privately wish Rashford well and hope he makes a success of it at the Nou Camp.

 

They know the striker needs a spark that will return him to the levels he is capable of and that just wasn’t going to happen at the club he supported as a boy and joined as a seven-year-old.

 

There were flashes of it during his half season on loan at Aston Villa in 2024-25 but the consistency was still missing. Rashford was looking at alternatives anyway but it is not certain Villa manager Unai Emery would have tried to sign the forward permanently, even if the Spaniard’s side had qualified for the Champions League.

 

Barcelona is a completely different level. They are the club Rashford has had at the top of his wishlist for two seasons.

 

If he cannot be motivated to play alongside Robert Lewandowski or driven by the challenge of lining up with Lamine Yamal, who has emerged as a teenager on an even higher trajectory than Rashford did himself a decade ago, then major questions will be asked about his career as a whole.

 

Rashford move ‘very good business’ for Barca

 

Some have asked why Barca would want Rashford in the first place.

 

Well, stripped back, they have cut a really good deal.

 

Having tried, and failed, to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao in the summer, they needed to strengthen their attacking positions. Aside from a now 36-year-old Lewandowski and Yamal, who is half his age, Hansi Flick only has Brazilian Raphinha and former Manchester City forward Ferran Torres to choose from.

 

Barcelona knew from past discussions with Rashford’s family that the player was keen to join them, as he said earlier this summer in an interview with Spanish influencer Javi Ruiz.

 

“Everyone wants to play with the best,” he said. “Hopefully… We’ll see.”

 

This followed comments from Barca’s sporting director Deco, who had said how much the club liked him, and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.

 

“When we go to the market, there are names that we know and that could improve the team,” he told Catalan radio station RAC1 in May.

 

“We like Luis, we like Rashford and we like other players,” he said.

 

The structure of the deal suits Barcelona.

 

The club’s once perilous financial position, though improved, is not perfect – it is unlikely they will be in a position to register Rashford immediately, although that will not stop him from training or playing in non-competitive games.

 

That would clear him to be part of this month’s three-match tour of Japan and South Korea, which includes a game against K League outfit FC Seoul, who, ironically, include Rashford’s former team-mate and close friend Jesse Lingard in their ranks.

 

Against that backdrop, a loan that contains an option, not an obligation, to buy, with the fee set at €35m (£30.3m) represents very good business.

 

If Rashford does well and gets close to the levels that earned him his current £325,000-a-week contract in the first place, he would be worth far more than the sum Barcelona would have to pay for someone who would then still only be 28.

 

If he doesn’t succeed, they can just send him back to Old Trafford. There wouldn’t even be the need for the penalty clause Chelsea had to pay to get out of signing Jadon Sancho this summer.

 

For United, there is a benefit too.

 

The club’s hope will be that they and Amorim will be able to move on and construct their own future without repeated questions about a player who, in reality, has had one outstanding season in his last five.

 

Even club legends such as Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs have said it is probably now time for Rashford to try something new. *BBC*