Marcus Rashford has reportedly been exploring a return to Manchester United after his loan spell at Barcelona

Marcus Rashford is said to have explored the possibility of rejoining Manchester United’s first-team squad as his loan stint at Barcelona draws to a close. The forward faces an uncertain future ahead of the summer transfer window, having spent the past 18 months away from Old Trafford on loan.

The England international netted 14 goals and laid on 14 assists during his time at Barcelona last season. The La Liga giants hold an option to sign Rashford permanently for £26million, but have opted against activating that clause.

This came after Barcelona chose to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for £69million, with both players operating in a similar position.

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Consequently, there is considerable doubt surrounding where Rashford will be plying his trade next season, with some reports indicating that Barcelona could still be willing to take the 28-year-old on another loan basis.

Now, a new report from The Sun claims that Rashford has set a plan in motion should he return to United this summer. According to the report, Rashford has reached out to members of United’s first-team squad regarding a potential comeback to Old Trafford, and is said to have received “positive feedback”.

Reports have also emerged that United manager Michael Carrick has been in touch with Rashford amidst continuing speculation surrounding the forward’s future.

Rashford hasn’t featured for United’s first team since December 2024, after falling out of favour under the club’s former head coach, Ruben Amorim, who left in January this year.

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What lies ahead for Rashford under Carrick’s leadership remains uncertain, as does whether the forward will get an opportunity to rejoin the United squad. Carrick was confirmed as United’s permanent manager last month, and must now decide whether to include Rashford into his plans for the upcoming season.

In April, Carrick was quizzed about the possibility of Rashford returning to United’s first-team set-up, and didn’t dismiss the idea.

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“I just think there’s decisions to be made in time on certain things and obviously Marcus is in that situation,” Carrick said.

“But at this point in time, nothing’s been decided. And it will be, because it has to be at a certain point. But at this stage, there’s nothing to say.”

Rashford is presently with the England squad in the United States as they gear up for their opening World Cup fixture against Croatia on Wednesday.

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Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate says he turned down work as a pundit at the World Cup because he did not think it would be “helpful” to the side’s chances.

Southgate resigned from his position after England were defeated by Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

The 55-year-old led England for 102 games over eight years, guiding them to the finals of two European Championships and the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

“It’s obviously a very different tournament for me this one, I’ve been at the last seven World Cups as a player, as a broadcaster, a scout and then as the manager,” Southgate said in a post on Instagram, external.

“So this time I took a conscious decision not to do the TV. I didn’t think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team and I don’t want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them at press conferences, so best for me to keep out of the way.”

England’s World Cup campaign begins on Wednesday (21:00 BST) when they take on Croatia in Arlington, Texas.

They then have matches against Ghana on Tuesday, 23 June (21:00 BST) and Panama on Saturday, 27 June (22:00 BST).

Sir Alf Ramsey, 1966 World Cup winner, is the only other manager to have guided England’s men’s team to a major tournament final.

Winning consistently as an underdog at home creates an atmosphere of intimidation for favored visitors.

When that happens, the home team’s chances seem to increase with the quality of the opponent.

The table below show the wins, losses, and win percentages as the underdog for the region’s top programs over the last 10 seasons.

Washington State leads the way, followed by San Diego State, Wyoming, BYU, and Arizona State.

Lewis Hamilton reacted on social media after crossing the finish line first at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday with two words. After claiming his first victory for Ferrari, the post immediately went viral.

Hamilton wrote on Instagram:

“REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.”

The post landed with the weight of everything that had come before it. A difficult first Ferrari season, a turnaround in 2026, and a win that ended his longest run without a victory in the past decade. During a difficult stretch last year, Ferrari was winless as a whole, and Lewis Hamilton was without a podium or a win in red. A fan had approached him during a store opening in London and said:

“Lewis, remember who you are, mate. You did it. You will do it again. So much love for you, man. So much love.”

Lewis Hamilton stopped, shook the fan’s hand, and later shared the moment on his social media. The seven-time world champion had spent much of 2025 fielding questions about whether his best years were behind him. That exchange stuck with the Briton. When Barcelona arrived, and the win came, those words were the first thing he reached for publicly.

The Barcelona win was Lewis Hamilton’s first since Belgium 2024, ending a 23-race drought that had spanned his entire first season at Ferrari and the opening rounds of 2026. He now sits second in the 2026 drivers’ championship, 41 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli, chasing an eighth title.

Lewis Hamilton on winning for for the first time in red: “Forza Ferrari”

The Spanish Grand Prix win was a product of a strategy that turned Hamilton’s three-stop approach into an advantage over George Russell and a race that Ferrari had not been expected to dominate. Barcelona’s long straights have consistently exposed the SF-26’s power deficit to Mercedes, and the weekend’s practice sessions had reinforced that concern.

A reset between FP3 and qualifying changed the picture. He went fastest in Q1, found front-row pace by Q3, and lined up P2 for the race behind Russell. From there, Ferrari’s strategy and Hamilton’s pace on fresh rubber did the rest. He took the lead after a perfectly-timed VSC period on Lap 42 and pulled away from the Mercedes pair, building an advantage of more than 17 seconds before Kimi Antonelli’s engine failure on Lap 63 simplified the closing laps entirely.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton was direct about what the moment meant:

“I watched Ferrari have all that success when I was younger, watching it on TV, and as I’ve been racing here I’d always watch the screens and wonder what it would be like to win in that car, and it’s come. Everyone worked so hard for it, everyone truly deserves it, so I am forever grateful to them and this is just the first I hope of many. But great pit stops today, great strategy, the car felt fantastic, and forza Ferrari.”

The turnaround from the opening practice sessions to the race result reflected exactly what Lewis Hamilton had spoken about between FP3 and qualifying. That habit of finding pace through preparation rather than raw setup speed is what gave Ferrari the confidence to commit to the strategy that won the race.