Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has admitted he may soon be ready to leave the club.
Speaking weeks ahead of the January transfer window opening, Marcus Rashford has candidly spoken about his Old Trafford future.
It comes after Rashford was dropped from the Manchester United squad ahead of the Manchester derby, and concerns whether he fits into Ruben Amorim’s preferred style.
Speaking to Henry Winter, Marcus Rashford said he is open to leaving, and wants to do so on good terms, learning from former teammates.
“If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse. 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.”
And while Rashford was not expressly desiring to call anybody out – it’s interesting to look back at which players he may have been talking about.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo‘s return to the club created hysteria in August 2022. When he left in November 2023, he created all the wrong type of headlines.
Ronaldo did exactly what Rashford is fearful of, falling out behind the scenes and becoming difficult to deal with. He was admonished by Erik ten Hag for storming down the tunnel, and on a separate occasion, for leaving the stadium early.
In order to force a move, Ronaldo conducted a tell-all interview with Piers Morgan, that appeared designed to engineer his release. He got his wish, with his contract terminated by mutual consent.
Rashford’s interview with Henry Winter is by comparison a ‘gentle uncoupling’, a player and club that have fallen out of love with one another, willing to explore new options, without the messy divorce.
- READ MORE: Who is Cristiano Ronaldo? Meet one of football’s most iconic names and undisputed Man Utd legend
Jadon Sancho
Marcus Rashford is close to former teammate Jadon Sancho, and appears to have learned from the winger’s crucial error.
When Sancho was dropped from the United squad, he publicly hit out at Erik ten Hag’s reasoning, and made the situation worse.
Marcus Rashford fired off an Instagram post after United won without him – choosing to take the diplomatic route and congratulate the team on the win.
With Sancho’s transfer value at rock bottom, United had to take their time before finding a solution, after the winger had spent three months at Carrington training alone.
Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani became a Manchester United fan favourite after joining the club in 2020. He should have stayed only one year.
Cavani signed up for a second season, only to see Ronaldo join, and have to hand over the number seven shirt. The Uruguayan admitted he was put out by Ronaldo’s arrival.
This was clear to see, Cavani was rarely fit, with fans feeling a lack of fight from the striker to get fit and stay fit. It was clear he didn’t want to be there, and admitted later that he would have quit if he knew Ronaldo was joining.
After the final game he left under a cloud, when he was seen gesturing angrily to fans before boarding the team bus following his final game, The Mail reported.
If we want to go back further…
Angel di Maria’s name is mud in Manchester now, having arrived to much fanfare in 2014 as the club’s record signing at the time. His desperation to leave left a bad taste.
Carlos Tevez was the ultimate villain, choosing to sign for United’s rivals City, while Gabriel Heinze made a right mess, attempting and failing to engineer a move to Liverpool.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
