Marcus Rashford is set to return to Manchester United this summer after loan spells with Barcelona and Aston Villa

Marcus Rashford’s chances of reclaiming his place in the Manchester United first team have received a significant lift after a long-standing colleague voiced his support for the forward’s comeback. The 28-year-old is due to return to Old Trafford this summer after a successful loan stint with Barcelona.

The England star enjoyed one of his finest seasons in recent memory while in Spain, contributing to the Catalan club’s La Liga triumph with an impressive tally of 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions. While Barcelona were widely tipped to make the move permanent, they instead splashed out £70million on Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, leaving Rashford’s future uncertain.

The homegrown talent’s rapport with United soured under previous manager Ruben Amorim, who sidelined him after Rashford openly declared he was “ready for a new challenge” elsewhere. However, Harry Maguire has suggested Rashford should be given an opportunity to flourish under newly appointed permanent head coach Michael Carrick.

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When questioned about whether he and his team-mates would embrace Rashford’s return, the United centre-back told The Rest Is Football: “Yeah, of course, I have an amazing relationship with Marcus and have had some great times with him over the years. I know what a wonderful player he can be. I’m sure it’s up to the club and up to Marcus to find a mutual agreement

“Of course, if Marcus does come back, we want him to come back and play and be happy and confident. It needs to be right for himself, it needs to be right for the club, but everyone knows what a great player Marcus can be for whatever club he plays for next season.”

Maguire’s position stands in sharp contrast to that of United legend Paul Scholes, who previously called on his former club to “banish” Rashford following his controversial remarks. “I think Marcus has let a lot of people down really, with his attitude, and I think that’s what the manager is trying to say,” Scholes told The Overlap Fan Debate.

“OK, he’s not refusing to play, but in the way he’s behaving and the way he’s training, in a way he is saying I don’t want to be involved with these. So I think the fact of letting your team-mates down in that dressing room – he should be banished from the dressing room really. If he’s in and around that and young people are seeing that as an example, the sooner he’s gone the better.”

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Rashford’s controversial comments are said to have upset several United players – particularly given they came just days after the club’s impressive derby triumph over Manchester City in December 2024. “Some of the players are really annoyed at what Marcus said and why he chose to say it at the time,” a source close to the squad told The Sun.

“They were all buzzing after beating City and then he basically put in a transfer request after being dropped for one game.”

The local lad remains under contract for another two years, earning a reported £325,000 per week, and is anticipated to rejoin Carrick’s squad once England’s World Cup campaign concludes – if there are no transfer developments in the meantime, that is.

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