It has been a rather ridiculous situation at Carrington over the last two weeks. No sooner has Ruben Amorim driven out of Manchester United’s training ground than Marcus Rashford has pulled in.
Banished. Ostracised. The biggest name in the so-called ‘bomb squad’.
It wasn’t meant to end like this. Rashford and United. Amorim and Rashford. But it has been clear for some time that there was no way back.
When Rashford said in December – five days after his last appearance for United in Plzen – that he was ‘ready for a new challenge and the next steps’ in his career.
And when Amorim astonishingly claimed at Fulham in January that he would rather pick his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital than play Rashford.
A loan move to Aston Villa until the end of the season suited all parties, but Rashford always had his heart set on Barcelona.
It wasn’t meant to end like this. Marcus Rashford and Man United. Amorim and Rashford
But it has been clear for some time that there was no way back back for the forward
No sooner has Amorim driven out of the training ground than Rashford has pulled in
After training in Marbella this summer, his return to Carrington was always going to be awkward and so it proved.
Within hours of the Rashford camp indicating that he was ready to play a full part in pre-season, United countered by giving him time off to explore a move away from Old Trafford as one of five players who would no longer train with the first-team squad.
So it began, the game of peekaboo with Amorim and what was described as a ‘co-ordinated’ return – code for making sure the boss has gone before coming into work.
Rashford has taken up the option to report for training out of hours more than the other outcasts, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.
But there is something curious about a club desperate for goals spending £130million on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo while Rashford, Garnacho, Sancho and Antony train in exile; four attackers with a combined value of £330millon at their peak.
No story has felt more regrettable than Rashford’s. The boyhood United fan who grew up to become a diamond of the academy and the club’s second-highest earner on £315,000-a-week.
Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that he lost his way at United. Lost his form and, at times it seemed, his love for the game.
This should be a period of his career when he is flying, not training on his own, at odds with his coach and looking for an escape from the club that has been his home for nearly two decades except for a few months on loan at Aston Villa.
After training in Marbella this summer, a return to Carrington was always going to be awkward
The forward is still a young man, coming into his prime years as an attacker
Barcelona is a huge stage and Rashford has a massive opportunity to get his career back on track
His short spell in the Midlands saw a rejuvenated Rashford. One with a point to prove to Amorim and new England boss Thomas Tuchel, earning an international recall.
And this is the good news. Rashford doesn’t turn 28 until the end of October. He is still a young man, coming into his prime years as an attacker.
There is still time for him to realise his huge potential. Barcelona don’t sign mediocre players and if they can relight the fire in Rashford and sign him for £40m next summer, it will be an absolute snip.
In trying to take a swipe at Rashford earlier this week, another former United No.10, Teddy Sheringham, actually made a very pertinent point.
‘From my perspective, if you go from Manchester United to Barcelona, that’s a step up he hasn’t deserved,’ said Sheringham rather sniffily.
Barca are a step up from United right now. The Nou Camp is a huge stage and Rashford has a massive opportunity to get his career back on track playing alongside the likes of Lamine Yamal and regain his England place on a more regular basis ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Who knows, if Amorim cannot revive United’s fortunes, the next manager might well find use for a player like Rashford next summer. There’s everything to play for.
