Marcus Rashford clearly doesn’t have a future at Manchester United, and that reality had likely existed for multiple seasons before Ruben Amorim’s arrival; it’s just that the Portuguese manager has been the first to take formal steps to cutting ties with the perennial disappointment.
There is a talented player buried somewhere within Rashford, but even at his latest loan spell with Aston Villa, we’ve only seen that quality in bits and pieces. For the most part, he’s been about as bang average as he was at Old Trafford.
With Rashford now out for the rest of the 2024/25 season with a hamstring injury, selling the England international will be more difficult for Manchester United, and Villa are pretty much off the table as a landing spot.
Marcus Rashford doesn’t want Aston Villa move
That’s partially because of Rashford, too. According to a report from The Mirror’s David McDonnell, Marcus Rashford has no interest in signing for Aston Villa, and the only team he wants to sign and would be willing to facilitate a paycut for right now is Barcelona.
While you can understand why such a highly regarded player like Rashford would want to stay in the spotlight at arguably the world’s second-biggest club in Barcelona, the Blaugrana are competing for a treble and already have four better forwards than Rashford in Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and even Ferran Torres.
The three starters are all Ballon d’Or candidates in this high-octane, Hansi Flick-fueled attack. Rashford’s entire career resume pales in comparison to what Barcelona are doing in this one season alone, and even a paycut likely wouldn’t entice a cash-strapped Barca when their issue with Rashford would be sporting.
Rashford isn’t good enough for Barcelona
There is nothing about Rashford that says he would belong anywhere near the squad of a team like Barcelona or any other similar elite side in European football. He’s barely qualified to play for Aston Villa or Manchester United as-is, and neither will be playing in the Champions League next season.
Rashford’s own ego seems to be getting in the way. He was a touted prospect and has a high opinion of himself because of how he has been built up, but he has to humble himself and be willing to join, potentially, a club competing lower in the table in fifth or sixth in LaLiga as Antony has done so wonderfully for Real Betis.
A move to Barcelona is hilariously unrealistic, and it’s a bit amusing that Rashford feels a paycut would be the issue – that is the bare minimum any team would need from the 12 million pound per season player.
Joe Soriano covers Tottenham for FanSided’s Hotspur HQ and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.