Marcus Rashford’s future at Man Utd remains uncertain with Harry Maguire making case why transfer exit must be rejected

HARRY MAGUIRE revealed that his Manchester United teammates “hope” Marcus Rashford stays at Old Trafford. The forward ended a 611-day absence for his boyhood club, coming on after 61 minutes in United’s 4-2 loss to Ruben Amorim’s Milan in Wroclaw. Marcus Rashford marked his first appearance for United since December 2024 Credit: Getty Harry Maguire revealed that his Manchester United teammates ‘hope’ Marcus Rashford stays at Old Trafford Credit: Shutterstock Editorial But the England star’s future remains uncertain, despite sources suggesting that he will likely recommit to United. Carrick had every chance to confirm Rashford’s future during Thursday’s sitdown in Maynooth, yet stopped short of guaranteeing he would remain beyond the end of the month. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! When asked about Rashford’s qualities on Saturday, Maguire took the initiative to address his teammate’s future. Maguire, 33, said: “He’s a huge threat, he’s a huge threat to have in your team. So if he’s going to stay with us, obviously the transfer window is still open, but we hope as players that he stays and he’s a big asset to have. “I’ve played with Marcus for numerous years and I know that playing against him and with him in training is going to help us. “He can improve us. When you see when he comes on, he threatens the back line really well. He could have even scored for us today.” United officials quickly made it known that the number nine shirt Rashford wore in Poland was not permanent, sparing potential buyers any future frustration. It marked his first appearance for United since the Europa League tie against Viktoria Plzen on December 12 2024. Banished by Amorim soon after, successive loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona seemed to signal the end of his time at the club. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Ruben Amorim using the 3-4-2-1 system that proved an ill fit at United, blew United away in the second half Credit: Splash Rashford’s first run run ended in a foul, but he quickly redeemed himself by dazzling a defender near the corner flag with a brilliant piece of footwork. As the club’s highest earner, his return is a factor in why United’s transfer business has stalled since Youri Tielemans’ £35m arrival from Villa. United desperately need a left back and have had two first stage enquiries for Lewis Hall knocked back by Newcastle. Maguire’s header put United ahead inside two minutes before Patrick Dorgu regained the lead. Despite tensions between Amorim and Rashford, many United players held their former manager in high regard. Following the trophy presentation, Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, Noussair Mazraoui, Lisandro Martínez, and Joshua Zirkzee were among the first to embrace him. Maguire said: “It’s great to see him. Great to see him and all his staff. I’m happy that they’re in another job and another chance to impress and to show everyone what a great manager he is. “So I have nothing bad to say about Ruben. I got on with Ruben really, really well and all his staff. I’m sure he’s going to be a success, it just didn’t work out at Manchester United. “But when you’re a manager and you put yourself in that firing seat, there’s going to be disappointments and he’ll be disappointed it didn’t. “But he’s got a massive club now in AC Milan and myself, I wish him and all his staff the very best. I’ll be following them and I hope they have an amazing season.” Kobbie Mainoo and World Cup finalist Lisandro Martinez made their first pre-season appearances, while skipper Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans both went the full 90 minutes. Amorim’s side, using the 3-4-2-1 system that proved an ill fit at United, blew United away in the second half. Samuel Chukwueze, who spent last season on loan at Fulham, constantly found joy at right wing-back, setting up Alphadjo Cisse and Goncalo Ramos with two identical crosses from Luke Shaw‘s side. Maguire insisted United will be ready for their Prem opener against Hull City on Saturday, despite what he called their “worst performance in pre-season“. He said: “It’s a week before the season and these games can become a little bit passive. It felt like a pre-season friendly if I’m being honest. “It was at a slow tempo and credit to Milan, they played at a higher tempo than us and they were a little bit more aggressive than us and they probably deserved the win in the end. “We’ll be ready to go, that’s the Premier League. 12:30 on a Saturday away at Hull, it’s going to be an intense game and one that we’re ready to go. “I don’t want to find excuses, but of course it’s the last game before, and there’s probably boys out there wanting to make sure that they get through the game and get the minutes into the legs without pushing too intensely to be ready next week. “But it wasn’t a good performance from us, we know that. We’ve got to do better, we’ve got to improve, but we’ve got a full week to analyse and we will do.” Comment now