Man United have a ‘difficult’ Marcus Rashford problem amid ‘behind-the-scenes mess’
Manchester United now have a problem on their hands after Marcus Rashford’s recent run of form at Barcelona.
Rashford left Old Trafford over the summer, completing a move to the Catalan giants on a season-long loan deal.
The England international has been out of favour since Ruben Amorim’s arrival at United, and spent the second half of last term on loan at Aston Villa.
Since his arrival at Barcelona, Rashford has been tipped to eventually make the move permanent, but his performances over the last few weeks may make it harder for Man United to agree a deal next summer.
Man United have no leverage in Marcus Rashford deal
Last month, Rashford scored a brace on his return to England, as Barcelona beat Newcastle United 2-1 in the Champions League.
Including his double at St James’ Park, the 27-year-old now has a goal contribution in each of his last six games for Hansi Flick’s side.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Rashford’s good form is actually a bad thing for Man United.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that it is clear that the winger wants to stay at Barcelona, which means the Red Devils have very little leverage when negotiating a price.
Wyness added that it leaves United in a very difficult position, and could see them take yet another financial hit.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I think they are in a very difficult position with this because it would appear that all he wants to do is play for Barcelona, and when players stick in like that, then of course the selling club has little leverage.
“I think the Man United ship may have sailed because Rashford wants to stay at Barcelona. He scored those goals against Newcastle. Obviously, he’s now feeling a bit more love in Barcelona.
“They’ve still got their mess behind the scenes in terms of financial situations, which may also dictate to a degree how this pans out. But certainly, United don’t have a deck of cards in their hands to play.
“United are realising that to turn the Man United tank around is a very costly exercise. And that’s what we’re seeing. They’re going to have to take some big losses before they get this right, so it’s tricky days right now in the Old Trafford boardroom, I can tell you.”
Rashford is returning to form at Barcelona
Rashford had a slow start to life at Barcelona, but over the last month, he has sparked into life with the Catalan giants.
In his nine appearances in all competitions, the forward has two goals and five assists, replicating some of the numbers during his best seasons for Man United.
When he was at Old Trafford, Rashford would often have ‘purple patches’ but struggled to remain at a high level over a longer period of time.
The Man United academy graduate will hope that he can find some consistency at Barcelona and realise some of his enormous potential.
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