Manchester United and England icon Wayne Rooney had expected Barcelona star Marcus Rashford to complete one major feat during his Old Trafford playing spell.
Wayne Rooney was in the tail end of his legendary Manchester United playing spell when Marcus Rashford broke into the first-team squad under Louis van Gaal.
A United youth academy product, Rashford had been a mainstay in the Red Devils first team for some time in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era of the club.
However, the 28-year-old England international’s dynamic with United soured in the 2024-25 campaign after his fractured relationship with Ruben Amorim.
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Wayne Rooney tipped England star Marcus Rashford to break his important Man Utd record
England ace Marcus Rashford was loaned out to Aston Villa during the second half of the 2024-25 season before briefly returning to Old Trafford in the summer of 2025.
The Manchester United talent spent the entirety of the 2025-26 campaign out on loan in La Liga after Spanish side Barcelona signed him last summer.
Wayne Rooney eclipsed Sir Bobby Charlton in the Red Devils goalscoring chart to become Man Utd’s all-time leading scorer before he left Old Trafford in 2017.
The 40-year-old former Man Utd captain admitted that he predicted ex-teammate Rashford could have been the player to break his Red Devils goalscoring feat.
“I think it’s a shame that he left Manchester United – he’s a Manchester lad,” he said on The Wayne Rooney Show, as per BBC Sport.
“He’s the one player who’s got a chance to get my record there.
“Records are there for someone to break and for a Manchester lad to do it, I think, would be great.”
Marcus Rashford evidently does not want to return to Man Utd – There is no way back for him surely?!
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England legend Wayne Rooney on the decline of Barcelona forward Marcus Rashford at Man Utd
Rashford lifted the La Liga trophy in his debut season with Barcelona, but it remains to be seen if the Spanish champions sign him permanently this summer.
United legend Rooney thinks highly of the Barcelona forward’s natural talents, despite expressing “shame” about the trajectory of his Red Devils playing spell.
“But over the last few years, he hasn’t been present there,” he added.
“We know what a good player he is, so he probably needed that change. It’s a shame to see it go the way it has because I’d still love him there.”
Rashford, who will represent England at the 2022 World Cup in North America, will see his current loan deal with Barcelona expire at the end of the month.
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