Marcus Rashford was fully behind his Manchester United team-mates despite his continued exile from Ruben Amorim’s first team. The forward watched on from the Old Trafford stands as the Red Devils met Rangers in a crunch Europa League clash.
Rashford has made the matchday squad just once in United’s last 10 games. He has not appeared since he was withdrawn during the 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen on December 12. It is widely expected that the 27-year-old will leave the club, either this month or in the summer.
Several clubs from around Europe are said to have registered an interest in the England international. Rashford’s preference is said to be Barcelona.
However, despite the strong speculation and his banishment from United’s matchday squads, Rashford was supporting his colleagues as they faced Scottish Premiership side Rangers in a fixture dubbed ‘The Battle of Britain’.
Rashford shared a photo of the pitch to his Instagram story. “Come on the boys,” read the supportive caption, which was finished off by a red circle emoji. It is clear where the attacker’s loyalties lie even while he continues to be snubbed for selection.
It comes following wide-ranging reports that Rashford is willing to play for United until his departure. He was ready to face Rangers in tonight’s match.
United reportedly hope to offload Rashford this month and are willing to accept a loan deal. AC Milan initially led the race but are set to fill their non-EU player quota with the addition of Kyle Walker from Manchester City.
Barca are said to have been interested in a move for Rashford. The Catalan outfit are also claimed to have been the player’s first-choice destination. However, The Athletic reports that a deal could be scuppered by head coach Hansi Flick’s decision to keep defender Eric Garcia this month.
The Spanish giants would need to sell players before they can fund a mega-money move for Rashford. There are 11 days remaining of the January transfer window.
According to the Guardian, Rashford accepts that he may need to remain at United for the remainder of the season. It is widely claimed that his reported £315,000 per-week salary is a major stumbling block preventing his exit. United would need to cover a large portion of that wage should Rashford only leave on loan.
Staying at Old Trafford would likely rule Rashford out of regular football in the final five months of the campaign. He has not featured in the Premier League since December 7.
Rashford is United’s third-highest Premier League scorer this season, albeit with only four goals. In total, he has made 426 appearances since breaking into the senior team in 2015, scoring 138 times.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk