Man Utd forced into tense reunion with £325,000-a-week Rashford… but if anyone can make it work, it’s Carrick

THERE is usually great fanfare when a prodigal son returns home. You think of the excitement among Tottenham fans as Gareth Bale rejoined from Real Madrid in 2020, or when Wayne Rooney made his Everton comeback at Goodison Park after 13 years away. Man Utd’s Marcus Rashford is not set for the full fanfare went he returns to Old Trafford Credit: Getty The Man Utd academy product has been set back to M16 this window Credit: Getty It’s fair to say Marcus Rashford’s unlikely return to Old Trafford has an altogether different vibe. Because 18 months ago the prospect of a reunion with Manchester United looked about as likely as taking the eggs out of a baked cake. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! And to be honest, he seemed pretty relieved about that. By the time he was packed off to Aston Villa in February last year, his relationship with then-manager Ruben Amorim had not so much soured as rotted to the core. He was snubbed by the Portuguese, who claimed Rashford’s attitude was so poor that he would rather select his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital as a United sub. It was quite a fall from grace for the England star, whose reputation had been near impeccable to that point. But he answered the criticism with good performances on loan at Villa and Barcelona. His exit at Old Trafford looked so set in stone that he had no qualms handing over his No 10 shirt to Matheus Cunha last summer. Most read in Sport BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Ticket + hotel room for Man Utd games GET tickets to see Man Utd at Old Trafford with our hand-picked deals. The packages include an official match ticket and an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. Man United Home Games⚽ 30 Aug v Ipswich — BOOK HERE⚽ 13 Sep v Manchester City — BOOK HERE⚽ 10 Oct v Tottenham Hotspur — BOOK HERE⚽ 24 Oct v Bournemouth — BOOK HERE⚽ 7 Nov v Aston Villa — BOOK HERE More games available here. *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. And yet it is looking increasingly likely he will be back this season, meaning the United board find themselves in a very awkward position. Because it wasn’t as straightforward as Amorim forcing him out — the club wanted him gone and his huge wages off their books. He signed his mammoth £325,000-a-week contract, making him the club’s top earner, off the back of a stunning 2022-23 season when he netted 17 goals in the Premier League and looked right back to his best. The Red Devils gave him the new deal a year before Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased his stake in the club and took control of footballing operations. The billionaire immediately went about making himself the most unpopular man in Manchester by making savage cuts, with hundreds of staff members made redundant. Clearly, Ratcliffe and his new board resented the amount of money that Rashford was on from the very start, and they made it pretty obvious they were going to try to get rid at the first opportunity. It was even leaked to the media by the club in the weeks before he left for Villa that every United manager had had issues with Rashford, not just Amorim. When you have grown up in Manchester, supported United all your life and been in the academy since the age of seven, it’s not a huge surprise he was left bruised and disillusioned. Michael Carrick could be the bridge to Rashford’s return Credit: Alamy We saw something similar play out last year with captain Bruno Fernandes, the club’s second-highest earner, who went on the record saying the club wanted him gone. Now, with a move to another side looking increasingly unlikely, the board are going to have to spin it back and say it was Amorim who wanted Rashford gone. Nothing to do with us, guv. It all sets the stage for a potentially tense reunion — but the reason it could work is the man in the dugout. Since Michael Carrick took over in January, the entire mood around United has shifted. He immediately made Fernandes feel appreciated and he went on to produce one of the best second halves to a season in Prem history. If anyone has the empathy, skills, and respect of his players, to rebuild the bridges burnt by Amorim and the board, it’s Carrick. He’s shown he can do it already. There is little doubt Rashford, 28, is still a hugely talented player and, when he’s on song, he has a lot to offer at the highest level. So the United hierarchy doesn’t have much choice but to put the politics of the last couple of difficult years aside and try to reintegrate him. Luckily, they have the right man in charge to do it. Skipper Bruno Fernandes went on the record saying the club wanted Rashford gone Credit: AFP Vinicius Junior has signed a new Real Madrid contract to 2032 Credit: Kenny Ramsay No Vin situation Sorry to break it to Arsenal fans, but there wasn’t a chance in hell you were signing Vinicius Jr. It was pretty clear from the off, especially for a cynic like me, that the Gunners were being used so the Brazilian could negotiate a pay rise at Real Madrid. So it has come to pass, with him reportedly agreeing a brand spanking new contract at the Bernabeu. It would have been the shock of the century had he not stayed at Real. The arrival of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle should soften the blow for Arsenal. But if their listless pre-season defeat by Real Betis is any guide, they still have work to do this transfer window. Marc on the world stage England were knocked out of the World Cup by Argentina in the semi-finals Credit: Getty Rashford started three of six appearances at the 2026 World Cup – scoring once Credit: Getty Being knocked out by the Argies in the World Cup semi-final was a very bitter pill to swallow for every England fan. But we can at least console ourselves with the knowledge that we, as a country, are living rent-free in their heads. The Argentine FA has announced July 15 will become ‘National Football Teams Day’, to commemorate their victory in Atlanta. Not only did they embarrass themselves on the pitch in the final defeat by Spain, they’re now embarrassing themselves off it. Big jump in prices One of the most dispiriting aspects of Jumps racing — a sport millions of us love — is that the same faces seem to win everything. If it’s not Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott in Ireland, it’s Dan Skelton in England — and our reigning champion trainer continues to get stronger. All-conquering owner JP McManus this week sent Skelton a new batch of future stars, including a £428,000 buy called Walkonseas. Smaller owners and trainers are being priced out nowadays as the rich keep getting richer. It means fewer and fewer yards can compete — and the game is all the poorer for it. Comment now