Maguire urges Marcus Rashford to remain at Manchester United

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire said on 16 August 2026 he hopes Marcus Rashford will remain at Old Trafford after the forward returned as a second-half substitute in United's 4-2 pre-season defeat by AC Milan in Wroclaw.

Rashford, who has made 426 appearances and scored 138 goals for Manchester United, played his first match for the club since December 2024 and produced a moment of skill by the corner flag before coming close to scoring. Michael Carrick gave him the number nine shirt for the game, although United officials insisted the number is not regarded as permanent; Benjamin Sesko, who had been expected to take the nine shirt this season, was not available through injury. The situation around Rashford remains uncertain ahead of the 1 September transfer deadline, and Carrick said last week he could not confirm whether the England forward will stay.

"Obviously the transfer window is still open," said Maguire. "As players, we hope he stays because if he does, he is a big asset to have. He can improve us for sure."

Maguire also pointed to Rashford's impact when introduced, saying: "You saw when he came on, he threatened the backline really well. He could have scored. He's a huge threat." He added: "I've played with Marcus for numerous years and I know that playing against him and playing with him in training is going to help us."

Maguire conceded Rashford's return coincided with what he accepted was Manchester United's "worst" pre-season performance, a week before their Premier League opener at Hull. Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty for the second game running that would have made it 2-1 at half-time, but there were encouraging signs in his link-up play with Youri Tielemans as both completed the full 90 minutes for the first time.

Commenting on the team's approach, Maguire said: "We're wanting to play much further up the pitch, be more aggressive and more on the front foot." He added: "This was the only game where I didn't feel we did ourselves justice in that aspect. We had a lot of high regains and created a lot of chances from that, but we didn't sustain our pressure anywhere close to enough."

During the five-week, six-match pre-season Maguire took on the captain's duties in the early games when Fernandes was missing, an indicator he could be vice-captain this season although that is yet to be confirmed. He also spoke positively about former boss Ruben Amorim after the match, noting warm embraces for Amorim and his coaching staff as Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, who both fell out with Amorim, acknowledged supporters when the Portuguese saw some of his old players as they left the field post-presentation.

Amorim told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I'm proud to have been at Manchester United and I still love Manchester United." He embraced journalists he remembered from his time in England, joked "do you miss me guys" and laughed that press conferences "are more boring" without him. Maguire added: "It was great to see him and all his staff. I got on with Ruben really well and all his staff. I am happy he has another chance to impress and show everyone what a great manager he is. I'm sure he's going to be a success. I have nothing bad to say about Ruben. It just didn't work out at Manchester United. But he's got a massive club now. I'll be following them and hope they have an amazing season."

The defeat and Rashford's comeback arrive a week before Manchester United's Premier League opener at Hull, with the transfer window still open until 1 September.