He’s an elite earner who was once an elite player, a big name in his late 20s who at his best has proven himself to be a game-changing talent. He’s an iconic player at one of the biggest clubs in the world, but one who is drawing ire from his coaches more and more frequently. If this had been two years ago, Manchester United would have been all over Marcus Rashford. Just one more 27-year-old and we’re back.
The only fly in the ointment is the team trying to shake their reputation as the dumb money one are now trying to shift one of their best-paid players. Per sources with knowledge of the situation, United would be open to offers as early as January for Rashford. The 27-year-old has struggled for form since signing a contract worth well in excess of $400,000 a week and has just nine top flight goals and three assists since the start of the 2023-24 season.
With Rashford not out of contract until 2028, United are on the hook for over $75 million. There is a compelling case to be made that this is the worst contract in the Premier League.
United would not expect the sort of sum they might have got for Rashford in his prime, given that any transfer fee they get would be registered as pure profit under profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) there is a compelling case to be made for cutting ties with a player who joined the club at the age of seven. In the years since there have been many impressive moments and outstanding seasons, perhaps the best being the 30 goals he scored across all competitions in 2022-23, firing United into the top three and to an EFL Cup triumph.
In the years since, however, that campaign has come to look an awful lot like an outlier for a forward who simply does not deliver a goal tally commensurate with a top 10 salary in the Premier League. The youngster who seemed bound for superstardom under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been one of many players to lose their way around Old Trafford.
Rashford’s woes
Premier League, per 90 minutes
|
2020-21 |
2928 |
2.43 |
0.34 |
0.27 |
0.28 |
0.1 |
|
2021-22 |
1232 |
1.61 |
0.29 |
0.24 |
0.15 |
0.15 |
|
2022-23 |
2888 |
3.37 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
0.16 |
0.09 |
|
2023-24 |
2278 |
2.45 |
0.28 |
0.23 |
0.08 |
0.11 |
|
2024-25 |
983 |
1.46 |
0.37 |
0.16 |
0.09 |
0.12 |
Playing form is not the only problem Rashford has faced. Disciplinary issues have reared their head more than once, whether it was Erik ten Hag dropping him after a late night party in Belfast, or the more vague explanations Ruben Amorim gave for the absence of Alejandro Garnacho and his No.10 in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Manchester City. “It is important the performance in training,” said the head coach, “the performance in games, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with your teammates, the way you push your teammates.” Both are in contention to face Tottenham in the EFL Cup on Thursday, but evidently they have not made the best first impression on their new boss.
So there you have it, a 27-year-old whose off-field behavior has come under the microscope at the same time that his form has settled at too low an ebb for his salary.
Can United find a new home for Rashford?
Any takers? The Premier League has enough clubs to match his wages but United’s great rivals Manchester City and Liverpool are non-starters for obvious reasons. Tottenham don’t have a player on over $300,000 a week, let alone $400,000. The nearest they get to Rashford’s salary is Heung-Min Son, who occupies the same position on the pitch but better and cheaper. Chelsea made 22 permanent transfers in the last two summer windows, none were as old as 27. Arsenal? There’s a case to be made that they need to upgrade their attack. There isn’t much of one that Rashford would do that.
After that you end up with teams who would almost certainly have to ask Rashford to take a pay cut to play at a level he might not envisage as right for him. It is hard to see him in, for instance, a West Ham shirt.
On the continent there’s already log jam of left-sided forwards at Real Madrid and precious little money at Barcelona or any Serie A club. That makes for slim pickings. Bayern Munich, headlined by Harry Kane, have proven they are not averse to paying the big bucks for veteran English talent, but would Vincent Kompany favor Rashford in a position where he is already using Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and Mathys Tel? Paris Saint-Germain have always been the club most frequently linked with Rashford’s services, and for a long time snaring Manchester United’s brightest star almost made sense for them. It doesn’t seem to when they’re accruing the best young talent from the French capital and beyond.
So we utter that refrain that has become so familiar across the transfer market since the summer of 2023: what about the Pro League in Saudi Arabia? A wise man tends not to try to predict too far in advance what might happen to Saudi Arabian football, particularly now that the eyes of the sport are on the hosts of the 2036 World Cup.
There is still an appetite for stars at the clubs owned by sovereign wealth fund PIF. Equally, there are currently no roster spots available across the Pro League for international players over 21, and it is worth noting that the likes of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are already investing in youngsters such as Angelo Gabriel and Marcos Leonardo, extremely well-regarded Brazilians they think can grow with the league. Their long term priorities might change when ownership requests their list of targets for the summer of 2025, but it is hard to see any placing Rashford at the top of their lists.
Similarly in MLS, a lot of contingent factors would have to break in the right way for a move that makes sense. Is there a club that can afford the wages and a face-saving transfer fee for Manchester United while offering Rashford a compelling lifestyle proposition? Look, I’m not CBS’ MLS guy. I asked him. In return, he asked if Marcus Rashford would like Kansas City in August.
Of course it only takes one club to do a deal for Rashford, a solitary taker convinced their coaching can unlock the player of 2022-23 on a regular basis. That ought to be a blessed relief to United. Finding many more suitors for this player on that contract would be an almighty struggle.