Marcus Rashford was dropped from Manchester United’s matchday squad in their 2-1 win over Manchester City on the weekend and his future looks increasingly uncertain after revealing he wants to leave the club
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola once admitted Marcus Rashford was the one Manchester United player he would like to bring to the Etihad as speculation continues to swirl over his future.
Rashford gave a bombshell interview on Tuesday revealing he is ready for a new challenge after struggling to pick up regular minutes under new boss Ruben Amorim.
The England international was dropped from United’s matchday squad by manager Ruben Amorim in their 2-1 win over Manchester City on the weekend and his future looks increasingly uncertain after his shock statement that should alert a number of clubs ahead of the January window.
Athletic journalist Andy Mitten – who founded the fanzine United We Stand – has previously claimed that a former United player told him Guardiola gushed over Rashford a few years ago.
He said it came at a time when the player was in excellent form but the team were struggling on the pitch.
He said: “I remember a former United player telling me that he was at a dinner with Pep Guardiola, and Pep said ‘The only player that I would take from Manchester United is Rashford’. Guardiola knows his business, and this wasn’t at a time when United were doing particularly well either.”
The Times columnist Martin Samuel recounted this tale in his column and even speculated Guardiola could be interested in taking him at City, with the Spaniard’s squad struggling and light on forward numbers after selling Julian Alvarez.
The liklihood of Rashford ever moving to City appears remote, but if he did it would trigger the wrath of United fans. When Wayne Rooney handed in a transfer request in 2010, City were reportedly in the race to sign him. Carlos Tevez also infuriated fans by joining the Sky Blues in 2009.
Despite his poor recent form, Rashford is one of the club’s biggest successes to come out of the academy in the last decade. He joined United aged seven and has gone on to play 426 times, scoring 138 goals and winning six trophies.
His future is now set to be one of the hot topics of the upcoming transfer window and the player has insisted that while he is ready for the next step of his career, he won’t attempt to force a move and refuses to be bitter should he seal an exit.
“If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse,” he told Henry Winter. “I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person. When I leave I’ll make a statement and it will be from me.
“When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’. You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person. For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.”
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